KH Birth By Sleep: Roxas's Story
by DarkFoxKit
Summary: There is a story that was not told in the games or manga. A story about Roxas, Sora's Nobody, and how his journey had affected three lives before he disappeared. Join Roxas as he goes through the adventures of the last three Keyblade Wielders and see what was not told before. If you could change the fate of three friends that needs to happen... would you?
1. Prologue: The Final Day

**DarkFoxKit: Hello there, dear readers! Look at that; I'm doing another co-op story with my favorite co-author Key2DestNE! And this time we're doing a story with his namesake~**

**Key2DestNE: *waves, grinning* Hey, what's up everybody? If you couldn't tell by my name and Fox's obvious namedrop, this story is about Roxas. If you don't know who he is… Well, where have you been, frankly? Go play the games fully before you read this!**

**DarkFoxKit: Yes, it is sort of a requirement to see all the games- well, maybe not ALL of them, but the majority, like Birth By Sleep, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts II, and… I think that's about it.**

**Key2DestNE: Right- at least know the plot of each of these games before you begin! Got it? Good? Great! Now then, this is only the prologue- and this will also be one of our shorter… co…stories… *trails off, staring at 20+ chapters* …FOOOX! I thought we said this would be SHORTER!**

**DarkFoxKit: *rolls eyes* I never said that, I just said it was shorter compared to our anime-long fanfictions! Anyway, wanna explain what this story is about or should I?**

**Key2DestNE: I'll have the honors, thank you~ *DarkFoxKit rolls eyes again* So basically, we were talking about Kingdom Hearts, and we couldn't help but think- what would happen if a certain Nobody met his look-alike?**

**DarkFoxKit: Ahem! That's Roxas and Ventus in case you couldn't tell. And before you have any misconceptions about those two; NO, they are NOT the same person in this story. In some fanfictions they are, but this is NOT one of them! We're trying to keep it as close to canon as possible.**

**Key2DestNE: …ANYWAYS, that's what this story's about- we even filled in a couple plotholes for those of you who are as nuts about the series as we are. Try to figure out what they are when they pop up, and you might get a web-cookie!**

**DarkFoxKit: And yes, we can tell this is a very long prologue. The chapters are pretty dang long themselves, but they are, hopefully, enjoyable to read. Now, shall we do the disclaimer and get on with the show?**

**Key2DestNE: Of course! *walks over to a huge button* It's too bad you had to fire our editor- he's usually the one who types this bit!**

**DarkFoxKit: *glares* We never hired any- okay, we don't own anything, we just made up the plot and put it in, there.**

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts**

**Birth By Sleep**

**Secret Story: Roxas's Story**

**Prologue: The Final Day**

Roxas frowned as he came out from the alleyway that he called 'The Usual Spot'... His three best friends; Hayner, Pence and Olette just literally passed right through him as if he didn't exist, and they didn't see or talked to him. Troubled, Roxas looked around as if hoping for some answers.

_Mysterious enemies, mysterious voices, mysterious girl, mysterious Keyblade, time stopping at random and now I'm a ghost? What _other_ cliche things are going to happen to me this week?_ Roxas thought to himself as he suddenly found himself surrounded by those white things again.

Behind him, a man in a black coat with red spiky hair appeared in a dark portal. He sighed, speaking up. "Look at what it's come to, Roxas. I've been given these icky orders to _destroy_ you… if you refuse to come back with me."

"But… we're… best friends, right?" Roxas asked him, sounding a little unsure but trying to sound convincing. _Please, please let this work…_

Axel frowned a bit, scratching the back of his neck. "Sure… but I'm not gettin' turned into a Dusk for-" He blinked, looking at Roxas in shock. "Wait a sec! You remember now!?"

Roxas gave a small nervous look before nodding. "Y… yeah."

Axel sighed in relief, giving Roxas a grin. "That's awesome! But, ya know- gotta make sure and all. So… er…" He frowned in thought, crossing his arms, before a lightbulb appeared. "What's our _boss's_ name?" He grinned in excitement, looking at Roxas hopefully.

But this stumped the poor blond boy. _Oh great, now I'm screwed…_ "... Uh… um…" Roxas stuttered but couldn't give an answer.

"..." Axel's grin quickly turned upside down as he groaned. "Ugh… can't _believe_ this…" He glanced up at Roxas, seeing the boy quickly grab a stick and form the Keyblade. "Roxas… you don't have to do this…!" When the boy didn't give a response, he sighed, summoning his chakrams before beginning to swing them… and pausing mid-swing, frozen.

Roxas frowned in confusion when Axel suddenly stopped before standing up straight, realizing time had stopped around him again. _Again?_ Then he heard someone else's voice in his head, giving him a command. _**Roxas! To the mansion! The time has come.**_

The Keyblade Wielder looked up to the evening sky and shouted, "HAYNER! PENCE! OLETTE!" He just wished for this to be a bad dream, he just wished that maybe his friends would hear his call and come and wake him up… But no, this was reality… and he's stuck in it. Roxas looked at the frozen Axel one more time before running off towards the marketplace that leads to the woods.

As reality unfroze around Axel, he blinked, seeing Roxas was suddenly gone, and he frowned a bit. "..." He sighed, dismissing his chakrams. "...So the Roxas that _I_ knew is long gone…" He chuckled mirthlessly, shaking his head slowly. "Fine… I see how it is." He turned, beginning to walk down the alleyway.

Meanwhile, Roxas was being hounded by more of those weird white creatures, including some new and much more stronger and troublesome ones with these long and sharp dagger-like arms that would rapidly attack him. Thankfully, all his experience with the Struggle Tournament kept him alive as he hurried through the woods, hoping that he'll get his answers there.

As soon as Roxas arrived the gate, he saw a huge lock on it. Frowning, he tried to open it, but it was locked. "Oh come on! Don't call me and then lock me out!" Then a memory of Sora flashed into his mind, the kid holding out his Keyblade. "..." Roxas looked at the huge lock and at the huge key in his hand. "I wonder…" He jumped back a bit and pointed the Keyblade at the lock as those strange white creatures began popping up behind him. To his surprise, the Keyblade shot out a beam of light, instantly unlocking it. Without waiting for those creatures to attack him, Roxas hurried into the mansion, not seeing the man in a black coat coming up behind him.

Roxas opened the door, quickly closing it behind him. "I'm here!" he shouted, but got no answer. "... Where am I supposed to go?" he called out, but still no answer. Frowning, he decided to explore the place, maybe he'll find the one who called him there.

Those creatures were still attacking him, but Roxas managed to get rid of most of them as he entered a white room, seeing pictures that looked like they were drawn by a child. Still, he could tell they were of himself and that Sora kid from his dreams… One was a picture of him in a black coat, walking away from a dark city. "... Ugh!" he grabbed his head as a memory began invading his head.

* * *

***Memory Flashback***

_I was walking away from the castle. I've had enough of it, no more secrets, no more hiding, no more mindlessly doing what the Organization wants, I want to get out of here and find my answers. I walked past Axel as he was leaning against the wall._

"_... Your mind's made up?" he asked me as I stopped to answer._

"_Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know." I told him, as if he didn't know already since we just had this arguement._

"_You can't turn on the Organization!" Axel snapped._

***End of Memory Flashback***

* * *

Ugh… What… what was that? … Organization XIII… "They're a bad group…" Roxas said out loud, and his comment was answered by none other than Namine.

"Bad or good, I don't really know." Namine said, looking down. "They're desperately searching for something."

"And that is?" the boy asked her, giving a small frown.

"Kingdom Hearts." she answered almost instantly, and Roxas frowned at that.

The blond sighed, sitting down in the chair across from her. "Namine… Please, just tell me who this Sora is and why am I connected to him… nothing else matters anymore." he said sadly, having a strong feeling he may die soon.

"You are-" Namine began to say, but she suddenly began disappearing in data.

"N-Namine?" Roxas frowned in concern and confusion and suddenly, the man from the Struggle Tournament appeared before him.

"No amount of knowledge has the power to help you escape your fate." the man said to him as if looking down at him like some kind of diseased dog.

Roxas glared, growling in fury, "Maybe not, but even so, I want to know, I have the _right_ to know!"

The man spoke up, immediately letting his obvious dislike known towards Roxas. "A Nobody doesn't have the right to know, nor does it have the right to _be_."

"But _what is_ a Nobody?!" the blond boy demanded, losing his patience with this man.

The man didn't answer him, instead that guy in the black coat suddenly appeared before them, "DiZ! We're out of time, too many Nobodies!"

Roxas was about to demand what was going on when Namine suddenly came out of a black portal thing, and she seemed frantic. "Roxas! Nobodies like us are only half a person… But you won't disappear, you'll be whole!"

Roxas's eyes widen and he paled, hearing only half what she said. "I-I'll… _disappear_?"

"No more further outbursts!" DiZ snapped as he approached Namine.

The girl in white tried to explain, shouting, "No! You won't disappear! You'll-" DiZ grabbed her and tried to shut her mouth.

"Wait!" Roxas yelled, trying to stand up in the chair.

Namine continued to struggle, hoping to tell Roxas her message before DiZ takes her away, "Roxas! We will meet again! I may not know it's you and you may not know it's me, but we will meet again, someday soon, I promise!"

"No!" Roxas yelled as she was pulled into that dark portal with DiZ and the other guy in the black coat disappeared. "Wait! NAMINE!" But to his shock, it was too late… she was gone and he was left alone.

Not sure what else to do, Roxas picked up a crayon, almost as if he should. Feeling a tug towards the other direction, Roxas headed for the other room.

Roxas sighed, walking through the main area of the mansion and distractedly knocking aside the white creatures still chasing him. Finally, he reached the other room- the library. There was a table in the middle of the room, and to his surprise, a big drawing was on it. _…Wait… this was…! _He pulled out the crayon he had picked up, beginning to draw 3 symbols in the empty circles.

When he was done, the table began glowing, and he quickly jumped back, barely dodging a giant hole in the ground that appeared. "Whoa!" He slowly walked up to the edge, noticing a new kind of style unlike the rest of the mansion- this was white, more technology-based… and he kept feeling the tug grow as he walked down the stairs on the side of the hole.

Soon, he found all these monitors in the basement… For such an old mansion, it hides such advanced technology. It was almost like it could create an entire digital world… Suddenly Roxas's head began pounding in agony again, and he cried out in agony as he grabbed his head.

* * *

***Memory Flashback***

"_If you get on their bad side then they'll destroy you!" Axel snapped at me, but I only shrugged._

"_No one will miss me." I said with a sad smile. "We're Nobodies… we don't have hearts, no matter how much we want it…" I continued walking forward._

"_That's not true! … I would…" I heard him said sadly and I felt genuine hurt… or what I thought was genuine. I shook my head, now's not the time._

_Nobodies are beings who lost their hearts to the Heartless… The stronger the person's will, the stronger their Nobodies are. A really strong willed person's Nobody will be human and adopting their appearance from their original selves._

_I was born in Twilight Town, but I was completely blank… I had no memories of my human self, everything was nothing… I was nothing more than a statue. That's when Xemnas found me._

"_Do you want to have purpose?" I remembered him asking me. I was given… a name…_

"_Roxas…" I said as I saw the letters of a name he put in front of me. And I was given a black coat…_

"_A new you!" Xemnas said with a smile and I joined Organization XIII. My purpose? Because I could wield the Keyblade, I was to destroy as many Heartless as possible in order to collect the hearts and build Kingdom Hearts that would grant us Nobodies hearts._

* * *

_I was frustrated… after a year working with the Organization, I still had no answers to who I am or why only_ I_ could wield the Keyblade! There was… another reason, a much stronger reason, but I cannot remember what that reason was and it makes me feel even angrier and sadder._

_I just knew I have gained another Keyblade, wielding two; Oblivion and Oathkeeper. I had two goals in mind; destroy Kingdom Hearts Xemnas created and find Sora. Everything seems to be connected to Sora, so that means… when I find him I'll find my answers!_

_I wasn't able to reach the castle because I was soon intercepted by the impostor, but I learned his name is Riku. Riku was wearing a blindfold yet was able to see everything clearly. I ran up to the building he was on top of and threw Oblivion at him… I was surrounded by Neo Shadow Heartless and I needed someone's help to get rid of them._

_After we destroyed them all, we immediately turned on each other. I was angry, I was furious, this enemy before me… he did something, I know he did, something that made me drown in sorrow and anger, despite having no heart, it sure felt real to me and I hated it!_

"_Why are you here!?" I demanded from him._

"_I came to get the rest of Sora's memories back." he answered calmly and this only angered me more._

"_Sora!? Enough about Sora! I'm going to destroy Kingdom Hearts, then everything can go back to the way it was! I can have ice cream again with her!" I shouted, knowing full well I was in denial but I didn't care._

_Riku just gave me a calm grunt, "'Her' huh? You mean _? It's a struggle just to remember her name."_

"_Just get out of my way! I'll free the hearts and find Sora, then I can get the answers I want!" I snapped at him, the hood of my coat keeping my face from view, but with that blindfold on him I don't think it matters._

"_I won't let you do something so reckless, I need you alive to help wake up my friend." Riku said as he charged at me with the Oblivion I threw at him earlier._

_I managed to get Riku down and he shouted at me, "Why!? Why do you wield the Keyblade!?"_

_This served to anger me more, because that's exactly what _I_ wanted to _know_! He knew why, he's only saying that to spite me! "SHUT UP!" I lunged at him, but he took this opportunity in my fit of rage to catch me off guard and hit me hard with Oblivion and I ended up on the ground with my hood off, revealing my face, not that it matters though._

_Lying there, I was exhausted, but I wasn't out yet. I closed my eyes and decided to feign unconsciousness. I waited as I heard him approaching me. I didn't so much as flinch when I heard him stabbing Oblivion to the floor next to my head. It wasn't until I was sure he was close to me did I open my eyes again and, weakly, sat up, groaning, grabbing Oblivion before swinging at him, but he was fast… Riku managed to dodge by jumping back._

_I glared as I stood up and charged at him. Riku shot a dark energy ball at me, but I managed to deflect it with my Keyblade and swung at him again, but like before, Riku jumped away from me. I was getting impatient with his constant jumping around. "Why don't you quit!?"_

_Riku seemed to be studying me for a moment, though it's hard to tell with that blindfold on his eyes, then he spoke, "Come on, Sora! I thought _you_ were stronger than _that_!"_

_I blinked, suddenly feeling more competitive than angry at this, "Huh? Get real! Look at which one of us is winning!" but after I said that, I found it strange that just came out of _my_ mouth. "Eh?"_

_However, Riku found it more as a confirmation than an oddity, "So it's true… you really _are_ his Nobody. I guess DiZ was right."_

_By now I have lost my patience and my temper, shaking my hand and bailing it up into a fist, I shouted, "What are you TALKING ABOUT!? I AM ME! Nobody else!" I summoned Oathkeeper in my other hand in anger and charged at him in blinding speed. I jumped and he dodged my first swing, but my second managed to not only cut through his shield but slashed his arm!_

"_Gah!" Riku grunted in pain as he fell on his knees and grabbing his cut arm._

_I glared, wishing he would just either die or get out of my way already! "How many times do I have to beat you!?"_

"_Alright… I didn't want to have to do this… but you leave me no choice. It's time I stop holding back the darkness." Riku said as he took off his blindfold._

_I frowned in confusion, but a sinking feeling came in. "What?"_

_"The darkness that I have locked away in my heart…" Riku finished as he began screaming loudly and he was covered in darkness! I braced myself to whatever was happening, but right before my eyes he transformed into someone who looked like Xemnas with a big black Heartless creature behind him._

_I was so caught off guard by this that I didn't have time to react when the transformed Riku suddenly teleported in front of me and that black Heartless behind him grabbed me! I groaned as I struggled to get out of the iron grip, but it was no use… I was already tired, injured and exhausted from our previous fight and the Heartless was squeezing and lifting me from the ground… eventually I couldn't take it anymore and passed out, dropping my Oathkeeper and Oblivion._

"_I have accepted it." I heard him say in a much deeper voice, despite being unconscious._

* * *

_I don't know how, but despite being unconconscious, I was able to hear DiZ and Riku's conversation._

"_DiZ… he could feel Sora." Riku said._

"_Oh? He told you how he felt, did he? Impossible. A Nobody cannot feel anything, it's all just a ruse." I heard DiZ say as if Riku just told him a joke._

"_Maybe if he were to have met Sora, things would be different." I heard Riku say._

_I don't know how, but once again I heard them speaking to each other despite being unconscious._

"_Are you sure about this?" Riku asked him._

"_We cannot revive Sora until Namine finishes piecing together his memories. Once she does, we can have Roxas connect with Sora and awaken him. Until then, we will delete his old memories and implant new ones, he'll live out the last of his days as a happy, ordinary boy in a virtual town. He should be thankful I'm letting him live in a peaceful dream." DiZ explained._

"_Poor thing…" I couldn't tell if Riku was being sincere or not._

"_It's the fate of a Nobody." DiZ spoke like it was no big deal… and… I was sent to a virtual Twilight Town._

***End of Memory Flashback***

* * *

After regaining all of his lost memories during his time as a Nobody, Roxas panted, but glared as pure anger and rage began flooding through him. Glaring heatedly at the monitors, even though they were only replicated computer data, they're what brought him to this happy prison.

Roxas summoned his Keyblade and began wrecking the entire system in anger. "IT WAS ALL A LIE! NONE OF IT WAS REAL!" he screamed as tears fell from his eyes. "I WAS NEVER MEANT TO EXIST TO BEGIN WITH!" Whenever he had missions in Twilight Town, he remembered seeing three friends, Hayner, Pence and Olette, hanging out all the time together. They laughed and seem to live simple lives… Roxas was jealous of them and had wished, more than anything, to be a part of their happy group… but… Roxas destroyed the last monitor as he finally began calming down a little bit. "It was all just a dream…"

Shaking his head, he looked at what he had just done… the monitors were smoking and beyond repair, but he didn't care. Roxas felt the tugging even stronger than ever after calming down. Walking through, he came to a room where he was attacked, yet again by those creatu- no, they were Nobodies, like he was. Dusks and Assassins. Axel was nearby.

Roxas easily took care of these Nobodies- after regaining his memories, his fighting skills also came back. Axel himself walked by, his arms crossed. "Simply amazing, Roxas."

"Axel." Roxas spoke the name with familiarity instead of uneasiness or sounding unsure.

Axel knew that Roxas finally remembered, but… "You really _do_ remember me this time. I'M SO FLATTERED!" He suddenly summoned walls of fire around them, keeping Roxas from getting away. "But you're too late!"

Roxas, knowing what he had to do even if he didn't want to do it, summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his side, getting ready to battle with his best and only friend in his short life.

Axel was shocked at seeing not one but… "Two!?" But he didn't question it for long as he summoned his own fiery chakrams to fight, smiling sadistically. "C'mere, I'll make it all stop! BURN BABY!"

He tossed his chakrams into the floor, causing everything to turn into magma. Roxas winced, his feet burning from the floor burning through his shoes, but he didn't let Axel do this for long- he charged the redhead, his Keyblades clashing with Axel's chakrams before diving at the red headed Nobody, tackling him to the floor and forcing the magma to disappear.

With Axel stunned, this gave Roxas the chance to combo his old friend- he swung his two Keyblades in a frenzy, almost giving Axel no time to react. However, Axel managed to escape from Roxas's deadly combos and into the walls of fire, making it impossible for Roxas to get to him without being burned into a fried Roxas on a stick.

Axel kept rushing through at Roxas, coming from end of the wall of fire to another, trying to keep Roxas from reacting or getting to him. Eventually, Roxas managed to shoot out some basic magic balls at Axel, stunning him long enough to jump and somersault into the air, comboing Axel even more.

Axel quickly recovered, though, tossing his chakrams into the floor as he cried out as loud as he could, "BURN, BABY!" Roxas winced, the floor becoming magma again- but he quickly began swinging at the man once more, keeping the pressure on even as his feet turned crispy.

Roxas refused to give up though, and Axel threw his chakrams at Roxas, knocking the Keyblade Wielder back for a loop. Roxas grunted in pain, the magma and fire around him was beginning to take it's toll. Glaring, Roxas lunged himself at Axel for one more assault; he stabbed Axel's chest and caused the wall of fire to subside and the magma to fade. Roxas stopped after that though, not wanting to finish off his only real friend, and dismissed his two Keyblades.

Axel panted as he was on his knees, before giving Roxas a weak grin. "... Let's… meet again… in the next life."

Roxas nodded, saying softly, "Yeah… I'll be waiting."

Axel chuckled, shaking his head weakly. "Silly Roxas… Just because _you_ have a next life…" And with that, he formed a dark portal around him and disappeared, leaving- to Roxas's surprise- a strange hole in the ground.

"Eh?" Blinking and curious, Roxas walked over to the hole, deciding to ignore the powerful tugging coming from the other side of the door for now. Roxas looked down the hole, not being able to see anything but darkness. "... That's weird… I thought this was the basement, how could-" The hole suddenly expanded unexpectedly and Roxas fell right in! "WHOOOOOAAAAA!" He fell right through space and time, everything warping around him.

* * *

**Key2DestNE: *is pouting* I still wanted to do the disclaimer- that's what the button was for…**

**DarkFoxKit: Maybe next chapter then. Anyway, readers, for those of you who read the manga version of Kingdom Hearts II, you may notice that the memory part was taken from those scenes, and some parts were the extended version from 358/2 Days cutscene with Roxas and Riku.**

**Key2DestNE: And yes, this one chapter isn't too different from the actual game, but honestly, it's the PROLOGUE- it'll be a lot more different in the upcoming chapters, trust us!**

**DarkFoxKit: Yes! So if I hear someone bellyaching about all that 'it's just like the game!' crap, weeeeeell let's just say that you and someone else may end up regretting it~ There IS a reason why it's following the game so closely: We. Are. Keeping. It. As. Close. To. The. Canon. As. Much. As. Possible.**

**Key2DestNE: … *pales* Please, please, PLEASE don't bellyache! I'd rather NOT regret it, thank you very much!**

**DarkFoxKit: So anyways, starting next chapter, the real chapter, Roxas will end up going 11 years into the past, and guess where he ends up and whom he gets to meet~ I hope you guys are excited!**

**Key2DestNE: Heh- trust me, if you're not excited now, you will be! We put a lotta work into this, so we hope you enjoy this chapter, and we'll get back to uploading other stories when we're a decent part of the way through!**

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah… my other stories were kind of on unspoken hiatus until we were done with this one. But it's done now, and we can finally relax a bit.**

**Key2DestNE: *grumbles* With some of our fans- *cough* the more impatient ones- *cough* complaining about how long it takes for chapters to get uploaded, I doubt it…**

**DarkFoxKit: … And this is why they need to learn that waiting for a good chapter rather than having them hurry to get a rushed one out has better results! A lot of fans understand this, but I guess we can't expect everyone to know or have the patience to care.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah… Anyways, we'll meet you all next time this story's uploaded! Buh bye~ *twitches, giving a wide grin***

**DarkFoxKit: …. Key…? Why are you twitching?**

**Key2DestNE: BECAUSE MY FANBOY'S ABOUT TO GO WILD! *begins bouncing off the walls!***

**DarkFoxKit: Couldn't you have waited until we get to the later chapters!? *grabs camera* I'm sorry folks, he's going out of control… again. Please, have a nice day or night and review if you want to support us. *turns it off*  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Similar Faces

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Hello you readers! I know the update's kinda fast, but we wanted to get in the first chapter after the prologue.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ She's right- and we know you all enjoyed the first chapter to varying degrees, so here's hoping you all like this one better since it's much different from the game's script! After all, from here on out it's all altered due to a certain somebody's, or should I say Nobody's, presence~ *cricket, cricket, cricket* ...Nothing? Come on, I thought it was funny!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ …. WELL now! I've learned that some people who read this story isn't that familiar with the games. They might know some of the first one but that's about it. I find it kinda weird they're reading this since it barely has anything to do with the first game, and more on Birth By Sleep and 358/2 Days. But hey, if you're enjoying it, who am I to judge?**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Precisely. Alright, I don't think there's anything else to talk about for now… so we'll meet you at the bottom when you're done with the chapter!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ …. Really? I thought you wanted to do that disclaimer you were complaining about in the prologue.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Eh, I got over it… but I guess you're right! *chuckles, muttering under his breath* Reverse psychology… gets 'em every time… *cough, cough* Anyways, we don't own anything to do with Kingdom Hearts- none of the characters are ours, and the same goes for the plot- only the idea that Roxas goes into the past and sees this is ours!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Similar Faces**

Meanwhile, in another world entirely, a boy with blond spiky hair, blue eyes, and black and white clothes was laying on the ground, snoozing away. He smiled in his sleep, dreaming all about his best friends in the world. To his surprise, though, he woke up when someone landed on him, hard! "Ugh!" He grunted, looking up in confusion. "Who the heck- ...Huh?" He blinked, staring into eyes not unsimilar to his own.

"Uh… hi?" Roxas waved awkwardly. How did he go from falling down an impossible hole in the basement to landing on top of another boy who… looks just like him? _Did I fall on a mirror or something?_

The look-alike boy frowned a bit, shoving Roxas off him with a grunt. "Get off me!" He then slowly sat up, looking at the boy across from him in confusion. "...Who are you?" Then he blinked, a thought occurring to him. _No way… is he…? _He suddenly groaned, confusing Roxas. "TERRA!" he shouted, looking around the area. "STOP YOUR STUPID PRANKS, YOU HAVE AN EXAM TOMORROW- YOU GOTTA SAVE YOUR ENERGY!"

Roxas blinked at the strange boy, and it soon occurred to the Keyblade Wielding Nobody that this was no mirror. "... Is your name Sora, by any chance?" he asked warily- he knew what Sora looked like and this was not it, but there's always a chance, right? How could someone look so much like him and_ not_ have some kind of connection to him?

The boy blinked, looking back at Roxas in confusion. "...Sora? Who the heck is that?" He groaned. "Ugh… Terra must've screwed up- that or he just thinks this thing's funny…" He then began poking and prodding Roxas's face! "Wow, he really went all out- you look and feel just like me! …Well, except for the clothes I mean."

"H-hey! Quit it!" Roxas snapped in irritation as he slapped the other boy's hands away from his face. "If you're not Sora then are you one of Vexen's replicas!?" he demanded.

"..." The boy blinked again. "Who the heck is Vexen?" He shook his head, crossing his arms and murmuring to himself, "Geez… Terra had a weird imagination to think _this_ is funny…"

The Keyblade Wielding Nobody frowned, if he wasn't Sora or some kind of replica then who is he? Some kind of twin he never knew he had? … Can Nobodies even _have_ long lost twins? Or maybe he's _Sora's_ brother? But didn't he just say he didn't know a Sora? Ugh, all of this was hurting Roxas's already aching head. "I don't know who this 'Terra' is, but… who are you?"

The boy blinked a third time, looking Roxas over in confusion. "Uh… my name's Ventus, Ven for short- and what name did Terra, or your 'creator' give you, copy of me?" He chuckled in amusement before noticing Roxas's look of pure rage. "...?"

"I'm NOT a COPY! I am ME! Nobody else!" Roxas snapped angrily, on the brink of summoning Oblivion just to shove it into the other boy-Ven's- face, but he managed to hold himself back.

Ven blinked, startled. "Uh… okay, okay, calm down!" He held up his hands, sweatdropping. "If you're not a copy, why do you look exactly like me, but with different clothes?" He frowned a bit. "You even have the same voice as me!"

Roxas glared but shook his head. "How the heck should I know? I was in the old mansion and suddenly fell on top of you!" Then something occurred to him… he was _outside_. "... Where am I?" It was night instead of twilight and _nothing_ looked familiar to him.

Ven blinked for the millionth time, looking around. "Uh… the Land of Departure, duh." He chuckled. "Don't you recognize where you were crea- er… 'landed', lookalike?"

Roxas crossed his arms, frowning in irritation at Ven's constant 'name-calling'. "My name is Roxas! And no, I don't recognize this place. I live in Twilight Town, not Land of wherever the heck this is! Is this some kind of trick!?"

The black and white-wearing boy frowned, slowly shaking his head. "Uh… no, of course not. Seriously, what did Terra _do_ to you to mess you up so much? And on the night before his exam, too?"

"I told you that I don't _know_ any Terra! And what exam?" The Nobody glared, this boy acted similar to the Sora from his dreams.

Ven frowned even more. "Uh… the Mark of Mastery Exam." Roxas blinked, now confused by the term. "What, you really don't know this place, uh… Roxas?"

Roxas crossed his arms, trying to study Ven as if trying to figure out where this lookalike is getting at. He _was_ trained by Luxord and Axel to always analyze the situation before trying your luck after all. "No… I don't… Maybe it's because I don't remember much about my past." Which was technically true, he's the only Nobody in the Organization who didn't remember his life as human.

Ventus frowned at that, suddenly looking at Roxas much more intently. "You… you don't?" Roxas blinked, confused at the new intensity of Ventus's curiosity. "...Maybe we can go find my friends! I mean, they can help- they're really nice people, and they helped me too!"

"... I'm sure…" Roxas frowned. _Rule #2: Never allow the people of the world to come in contact with you._ "But I should get going… I need to find my… home." _Not that I have one anymore. Rule # 23: When entering a new world, always reconessiece to familiarize yourself with the world and its people._

Ven frowned awkwardly, though. "Er… about that… Roxas… the Land of Departure is all there is here." Roxas frowned at that… did Ven know about other worlds? "You see… there _is_ no Twilight Town here… You're going to need Master Eraqus's help to get home." Then he suddenly smiled. "And while you're here, you can watch the meteor shower with me- it's still going on, I think!"

"... For someone who's excited about a meteor shower that's still going on, you were having a rather peaceful nap earlier." Roxas grumbled. "Besides, I thought I was just some prank copy of you from this Terra guy."

Ven smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well… y-you know, I might've fallen asleep, but… It's still a cool meteor shower…" Then he shrugged. "Besides, you're different enough- and if you're worried about getting home, we can try to find out where it is you live in the morning!" _If you live ANYWHERE…_ he thought to himself.

The Nobody sighed to himself as he said, "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. I just want to explore this place for a bit. I've never been here before." But then he looked at Ven's strange choice of color in his clothing, which was similar to his own, but there was… that metal chunk on his shoulder that bothered him. "... What's that metal thing on your shoulder? Isn't that uncomfortable?"

Ven shrugged, grinning in excitement. "Yeah, a bit- but it's my armor!" He poked it a bit, shrugging. "I've never used it- I'm not to that part of my training yet- but I'm still excited about what it's going to look like!"

"... Wait… that thing's your armor yet you never used it? … Then why the sea salt ice cream do you wear it in the first place!?" Roxas facepalmed at this- at least his old black coat was pretty comfortable to wear, unlike having a piece of metal chunk attached to his shoulder that he wouldn't use any time soon.

Ven shrugged. "Not sure what sea salt ice cream is, but…" He grinned. "I'm gonna use it soon!" Roxas frowned at that, still confused about who this 'Master Eraqus' was. "What about you? What're you learning right now?"

"... Learning? Are you talking about high school?" Roxas asked him, wishing Ven would be more specific in what The World That Never Was he was talking about!

The other boy nodded, giving a shrug. "I guess- or whatever you're learning right now. I mean, I'm not in high school, and you've gotta be 16 if you're a clo- …If you're… a twin." He awkwardly adjusted what he was saying beforehand.

Roxas grumbled as he rubbed his forehead. "I'm 15 actually, and I'm not a _'twin'_, okay?" _I never went to school… I learned everything I did from the Organization… But in my fake memory, I, sort of, went to Twilight High…_ "And it doesn't matter, it's just school. What kind of stuff are you learning anyway if you're wearing armor? Some war school?"

Ven shrugged, thinking it over. "Well, sorta… It's-" Then he blinked, seeing someone behind Roxas. "Oh, Aqua- you're out here too? Why aren't you in bed, asleep?"

The young Nobody frowned before turning to see a young lady with blue hair coming towards them, smiling warmly at his lookalike but looking at him with curiosity and confusion.

"Ven… you never told me you had a twin." Aqua said with an amused chuckle. "Were you planning on using this to get back at Terra for when he made your hair brown?"

Ventus shook his head, frowning a bit. "No, not really…" He shrugged. "I think Terra made a clo- …. A _twin_ of me, but he doesn't like to be called the c word." He whispered in Aqua's ear, "You know- clone…?"

"Ugh!" Roxas groaned, having heard Ven with his sharp ears. "Look! I'm not a clone! The closest I am to a clone is that I'm a Nobody! A shadow to someone else!"

Aqua and Ven blinked and stared at Roxas, Aqua frowning in concern while Ven raised an eyebrow.

"... What?" Roxas figured they might have some idea what a Nobody is since they're becoming more and more common along with Heartless lately, but they act like he just called himself a moron or something.

Ven coughed awkwardly, looking at Aqua in confusion. "Uh… Aqua?" he quietly asked. "What's a Nobody? …Did he just call himself a _loser_?" Roxas's jaw dropped.

"How could you think of such a thing about yourself?" Aqua said, frowning at him. "Don't feel so bad- you look like a nice boy!"

Roxas shook his head, frowning again. "What? No, I'm not having a self-esteem issue, it's just fact that I'm a Nobody! Don't you know what those are?" He had no idea why he's telling them he's a Nobody anyway, but it already slipped out so might as well explain himself.

Ven coughed nervously, shrugging. "Uh… no, not really." He looked up at Aqua, still frowning in confusion. "What should we do?" he whispered. "Should one of us go get Master Eraqus, tell him a boy landed out of the sky and is calling himself a loser?"

Aqua sighed to herself, slowly nodding. "Yes, I think we should get him. Maybe he can help us with this boy…" she whispered back to Ven.

Roxas frowned, but before he could speak up, someone else joined the party. "Hey Ven!" And a big strong arm was suddenly patting him on the back, so hard he nearly fell over! "Have you been working on those moves lately? Where's your armor? You've always wore it day and night!"

Roxas coughed a bit from the sudden pat on the back by this guy. "Uh, what?" He glanced up, seeing a big man with brown hair, blue eyes, and the same piece of armor as Ventus on his arm. _I wonder why all three of them have armor but I don't see any weapons on them… Hmm…_

"Uh… Terra?" The big man, apparently Terra, blinked and glanced up to a waving Ventus. "Over here- that's Roxas… Can you dispel him now? Seriously, the prank got old after he fell on me from the sky…"

Terra blinked in confusion. "... Dispel him? I don't know what you mean by that Ven, but did you just double yourself?"

"He's a real boy, Terra, and he's lost!" Aqua scolded. "At first I thought he was a clone you or Ven made too, but-" Roxas growled. "Okay, a _doppelganger_ you or Ven made, but he's an actual boy who has low self-esteem! Don't be rude!"

"What? But why does he look like Ven?" Terra blinked, looking at Ven in confusion.

"I don't know! He just fell from the sky and landed on top of me! I thought you set him up as a prank or something!" Ven pointed at him, still frowning. "You did that with the flour prank the other day!"

"My magic isn't _that_ good Ven!" Terra told him, crossing his arms. "That's more _Aqua's_ area- and she doesn't do pranks, you know that!"

While the three of them were arguing, Roxas took this time to slip away from them, wanting to be left alone and explore this new world. Maybe he can find refuge here for a while since there aren't any other Nobodies in the area.

Walking and looking around, Roxas was trying to examine everything, just like how he was taught to do whenever he was on recon missions. _I wonder if Axel sent me here on purpose…?_ Then he stopped when he saw a huge castle. "Whoa… that's a big castle…"

"Yes… yes it is." someone suddenly said behind him. Roxas jolted, spinning around to see a blade right in his face! "Now I expect an explanation- who are you and why do you look so similar to my student?"

Roxas, frozen in place and not wanting the blade to stab his eyes out, decided to skip the rebellion and answer. "M-my name's Roxas, a-and I don't know why I look similar to anyone, I can't help that I was born with this face!"

The man frowned, narrowing his eyes. Roxas noticed he had a gray goatee as he still held the blade to Roxas's face. "...Roxas, eh? Well, I don't know anyone by that name… But tell me this- are you one with a light heart or a _dark_ heart?"

Roxas frowned in confusion as if not knowing how to answer that. _How could I answer something like that? I don't HAVE a heart!_ When he didn't answer right away, the man's blade touched his throat, prompting the boy to answer any way he could before he lost his head. "I-I don't know how to answer that!" He also wanted to play the part of someone who's not used to fighting or seeing blades all the time, using his personality from when DiZ implanted those fake memories into him… Maybe that man did something useful for him after all.

The gray-haired man narrowed his eyes, poking his throat just a tiny bit. "It is a simple question- do you prefer to help others or to harm them? Well, _Roxas_?" He narrowed his eyes even more- by now Roxas could barely see his eyes. "Are you good or evil?"

"... I guess I'm more of a twilight." Roxas finally answered. "I don't think I'm good or evil, nor do I belong to light or darkness…"

This actually made the man lower his blade slightly in confusion, and Roxas saw it looked almost like a Keyblade- although unlike any Keyblade _he_ ever used. "...How can you be neither light nor dark?"

"It's possible…" Roxas said, shrugging. "It's unlikely but it is possible. Isn't there a neutral zone for almost anything? Why would there be light and darkness but no in-between like twilight?"

The gray-haired man frowned, his eyes still narrowed, but he slowly lowered his blade. "...I suppose you mean no harm on this place. Tell me… What purpose do you have for coming to my home, Roxas? You look as young as my youngest student- why would you, a 16 year old boy, come here?"

"... Not to be rude, or anything, but I'm 15… And I didn't come here on purpose. I was in an old mansion in Twilight Town, when I fell in a hole and just landed here. I know it sounds crazy, but that's honestly what happened, and I don't know how to get back home." Roxas said, though the part of 'don't know how to get back home' wasn't all that true- he could still use the Corridors of Darkness, being a Nobody, but it's not like he's going to tell this guy that.

The man frowned at that, lowering his blade to his side. "I see… Twilight Town?" Roxas nodded slowly. "I'm afraid I haven't heard of that place… But I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't get home- after all, this is a completely different world, not to mention realm."

"A different world? Like a planet or something? … Are you an alien?" Roxas asked him curiously- though acting ignorant was kind of fun, he hopes he doesn't annoy the man with a freaking blade too much… Then again, he could probably match up with him with his Oathkeeper and Oblivion, if he reacted fast enough, but for now he'll just play the innocent boy.

The man twitched, a vein visible on his forehead. "No, I am not an alien… We are in a realm between that of the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness." Roxas blinked at that, not expecting to hear that he was in a different _realm_. "And when you are in a different world, nothing is the same. You may meet those of the same species, but they do not know the same things you do- for example, you speak of a town as your home. Here… there is only this castle and what is needed around it for training."

"I see… That's… a lot to take in." Roxas said, crossing his arms. "... What are you training for in this world anyway? If it's not too much to ask, of course! I mean, I think I heard some of your students talking about armors and exams before, but they weren't very clear or specific about it."

The man gave a small smile at that. "Ah, yes, my students…" He turned and began to walk towards the castle. "Follow me, Roxas, and I will explain." Blinking in confusion, the blond boy quickly followed. "In this world, I am what is known as a Keyblade Master, although I am also known as Master Eraqus. And this…" He held up the blade before it disappeared in a familiar shine of light. "...is my Keyblade. I am training my students to take the Mark of Mastery- so they, too, may become Keyblade Masters."

Roxas's brain was stuck on 'Keyblade Master'. _Wait… Keyblade Master? … There's more than just a selected few who are able to wield the Keyblade? But then… why did Xemnas act like I was the only one? And… wait… THAT thing WAS a Keyblade!? No wonder it seemed so similar to mine, but…Hold on… THOSE THREE I was talking to earlier can wield Keyblades too!?_

Eraqus then noticed Roxas's sudden shocked look. "I suppose it is a lot to take in… The idea of a key being a weapon- however, it holds quite a lot of power." He then frowned, his expression growing dark. "And if you are one with a dark heart… you may use it for even darker purposes… Something I wish to prevent happening to my students"

Roxas looked at Eraqus, a thought occurring to him… He remembered how insistent Xemnas was that Roxas would finish off a Heartless with his Keyblade since he's the ONLY ONE they could FIND to wield the Keyblade currently. He _had_ fallen into a hole, and it _did _look like he was falling through darkness… "... Um… Master Eraqus? … If you don't mind, what's the date?"

The man blinked in surprise, shaking off his dark expression and looking at Roxas. "Why… it's June 12th, 199X." Roxas paled. "What's wrong, Roxas? You look as if you have just been told the date of your death."

"..." _But… but that's… That's 11 years ago! H-how!? W-why!? How and why did Axel send me back 11 years ago!? Was it even _Axel _who sent me back in time to a different world!? Who and why then!?_ With all this, along with his memory strains and his earlier battles and stress catching up to him, Roxas suddenly became very dizzy, and he swayed a few times before he fell to the ground, passing out.

Eraqus quickly caught him, giving a concerned frown before beginning to carry him inside. _I suppose the strain was too much for the poor boy… He seems as if he's never fought or even seen a blade before- I had better find a way to return him to his own world, and soon… Otherwise he might not be able to handle such strain on his mind._

* * *

**_DarkFoxKit:_ I hope that was better than the prologue~ The prologue was just to give you the idea where it's set from, so you know that Roxas isn't, you know, a freaking _zombie_ like he is in the beginning of 358/2 Days, and it's not set in the middle of him being in the Organization, it's just before he goes back to Sora.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Now, how'd you all enjoy this chapter? Now yes, we'll have the characters acting slightly different than usual, but we won't be having Terra tossing flowers around while Ven sulks in a corner and Aqua threatens to stab anyone who comes near her- I just wanted it to be clear before we got any further that this is how we think they'd react in this situation.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And yes, I get that it was a stupid move for Roxas to outright tell them he was a Nobody, but really, at this point the poor boy was about to go insane, and I wouldn't blame him. He's not thinking very clear right now. He got really angry at the whole clone thing because of his issues with… you know, being a Nobody, a shadow to Sora that everyone made clear that is who he is and not his own being- so yeah, calling him a clone WOULD push him to the edge.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Let's see, what else is there… Oh- right. We'll also be having events change slightly to allow growth for Roxas's own story to unfold, but you'll have to continue reading the story to find out just what changes those are~ *winks at the camera***

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Okay, I think we've said all there is to say now. If you have any questions, feel free to PM one of us and we'll be sure to tell you to the best of our abilities, and please don't PM us just to be a jerk.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ And now, time for us to head out with the classic phrase~ Read and review, everybody, because we can only grow as writers when we're told what we do right and what we do wrong!**


	3. Chapter 2: New Friends

**_Key2DestNE:_ Hey everybody, Key2DestNE and DarkFoxKit back for another chapter of KH Birth by Sleep: Roxas's Story. Now I don't think there's much to say before we begin, other than thank you for all the amazing support for the first two chapters! I'll admit, it's overwhelming how much people are liking it, and I'm glad we haven't messed up so far.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ … Heh, riiiiight. Well, anyway… we plan to update this story every week, so mostly expect this on Fridays if we can do it. This chapter is probably the last chapter before the big exam and everything else happens.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Yeah- it's also gonna give a bit more characterization to these three, so hopefully we don't screw it up too much! We gave you a touch of what we'd do with Ven, Terra, and Aqua last chapter, but this one it's gonna be a bit clearer about how their personalities make sense with the game.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ So try to keep an open mind while you read, and have fun! Um… Key… you uh… doing the disclaimer right now?**

**_Key2DestNE:_ *gives a bright grin* I thought you'd never ask~ *ahem!* We do not own Kingdom Hearts, or any of the locations, names, or terms used within- they belong solely to Square Enix and Disney. Same goes with the characters and plot, only the idea that Roxas is involved in all this is ours. Roll the film!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: New Friends**

…_. Where am I? … I'm just floating in the middle of nowhere… it's so bright here… yet it's so dark at the same time…_

"_...xas…" Huh? I heard someone's voice… who's there? "...ra… Key… must…. sti…. ith… Ve…." I can't make out what they're saying… please, tell me who you are and where I am… Why am I… 11 years in the past?_

…_.. No good… I can't hear them anymore… I'm… drifting off…_

Roxas groaned as he slowly opened his eyes from his bed, frowning when he didn't recognize the bedroom he was in and further in the reality that this was not a dream.

He slowly sat up, looking around. "So… it wasn't a dream, huh…?" he muttered to himself. Thankfully, he was still fully clothed, but this didn't ease his troubled mind as he adjusted his position so his feet were over the side of the bed and began to think.

_So… if I'm 11 years in the past… then that means I have to be careful not to mess anything up. One change and one wrong move and not only would I suddenly cease to exist, but everything could go into chaos. Still… It's such a good opportunity to learn more about the Keyblade… Maybe I can find out why I can wield one despite being a Nobody…_

* * *

Roxas's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ven's voice talking to Eraqus just outside his door. "But Master Eraqus, Roxas isn't a bad guy- heck, he might be nothing more than a botched clone! Why do we have to worry so much?"

Roxas glared as he heard this, but stayed quiet as Eraqus's voice spoke up. "Despite your reassurances, Ventus, he is still a stranger, and we do not know much about him. It's true he seems like an ordinary boy who knows nothing about the outside world beyond his own, nor does he seem to have any battle experience, but he is an unusual case- he did not seem to know if he belonged to light or darkness and instead answered twilight."

Ventus paused for a moment, and when he spoke up again, he sounded surprised. "...He did? I wonder why… I mean, it's not really _possible_ to be perfectly twilight… is it, sir?"

"It shouldn't be- in fact, that's the first time I've gotten an answer like that." Eraqus said, sounding more curious than suspicious. "Still, we cannot let down our guard Ventus, we do not know much about him and it's too early to make assumptions. For now, I will keep a close eye on him until the exam is over."

Roxas clenched his fist in irritation when he heard that. _What, he doesn't trust me? …_ He paused, thinking about it for a minute. _…That's pretty smart of him- I just appear out of nowhere, look just like one of his students, and apparently I didn't respond like he's used to… But I wonder why Ven's talking to him about me anyway? Maybe I should get out of here before I end up screwing something up…_

The blond-haired Nobody began to stand up, but to his surprise, the door began opening. Ven poked his head inside, smiling when he saw Roxas was awake. "Hey, you're alright! Master Eraqus told us you passed out when walking up the stairs outside."

"... Yeah… I guess I was just exhausted and all the information about Keyblades and other worlds must've been too much for me…" Roxas said as he gave a small chuckle and rubbing the back of his head. "But… why are you here? Shouldn't you be asleep for this big exam tomorrow?"

Ven frowned a bit, shaking his head. "No, I'm not taking it… I'm gonna head to bed soon- but I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt or anything. Just since we look alike and all- it'd be weird seeing myself with a big gash on his head or something!"

Roxas shook his head, frowning slightly. "Well… that's nice of you, but I'm fine. So you better go get some sleep if you plan to watch the exam. I'll just explore for a bit."

Ven smiled at that, walking in all the way. "Well, maybe I can show you around- I've lived here all my life, after all, I know a lot about this place!"

"You really don't have to do that Ven, just go to bed or you'll be too tired tomorrow." the blond Nobody said to him, not wanting to interact with anyone, especially in the past. "It's okay, I'll be fine on my own."

Ven chuckled, beginning to pull Roxas out the door. "C'mon Roxas, don't be such a sourpuss! This'll make it quicker for both of us!"

"B-but-" Roxas groaned as his look-alike began dragging him. "Ugh… Fine, whatever!" Ven gave him a chuckle of amusement as he let go of the Nobody and gestured him to follow. "... So… I guess since you're Eraqus's student, you can wield a Keyblade too?"

Ven nodded, holding out a hand. "Yeah- take a look!" With a flash of light, a Keyblade appeared in his hand, but… it was held backwards in his hands. "You see? I'm more of a speed kinda guy- so I chose this!"

Roxas looked at it in awe and curiosity, his own Keyblade could change its shape and style of fighting depending on the keychain he puts on it, but he's never seen one like this before. "That's pretty neat… Do you have a name for it?"

Ven swung it around a bit, nodding with a cheerful grin. "Of course- I call it Wayward Wind!" He shrugged, dispelling it. "It fits me a lot, actually- it's super easy to get a lot of combos on an opponent like this!"

"Sounds like it's your kind of Keyblade then. But does that mean there are many different types of styles? How is your skills with the Keyblade anyway?" Roxas asked curiously, partly because he wanted to know where he stood with someone who's trained by a master whereas he's more self-taught.

The blond-haired boy nodded, still leading Roxas around the area. "Yeah- at least 3 as far as I know! There's people like me who go for speed, people like Terra who are more about power, and people like Aqua who are more magic-based. There might be more styles, I dunno…"

"That sounds pretty cool… but… magic? Is that really a thing with these Keyblades?" Roxas asked, trying to sound astounded, remembering his own reactions to Axel's fire magic when he thought he was an ordinary boy.

Ven merely grinned, before holding out a hand and, to Roxas's surprise, making a small ball of fire appear in his hands! "Yep- it's even possible without the Keyblade! It's not the easiest thing to do, not for combat at least… But it's still a neat little trick!"

"That's pretty cool! Just be careful not to burn yourself." Roxas chuckled.

The two look-alikes continue to talk as Ven showed Roxas around the castle and they soon reached the training area. "And this is where the exam will take place."

Roxas looked around, "Wow, this is pretty cool." Ven suddenly summoned his Keyblade. "Hmm?"

"You asked how my skills are with this, right?" Ven said to him, giving a bright smile.

"Are you going to practice on a dummy or something?" Roxas asked him, looking around in confusion. "...I don't see any here, though…"

The boy in the right timeline shrugged, still smiling. "Well, we can get you a weapon or something and you can try fighting me with that! Maybe you can use a metal rod or something…"

"WHAT!?" Roxas all but shouted in both shock and nervousness. "Are you kidding me? I don't have any fighting experience, why spar with someone like me!? And I don't want that Keyblade in my face, thank you very much! You can thank your Master for _that_ little traumatizing experience!"

Ven pouted, giving Roxas big watery eyes. "B-but Roxas… I want to show you how I fight… pleeeease?" he begged, his lower lip wiggling a bit.

_Is THAT how I looked like to Axel whenever I ask him for something but he won't give it to me?_ Roxas musingly thought to himself before frowning at his double. "Look, why would you even _want _to spar with me anyway? Just because I look like you? That doesn't mean I fight like you, you know!"

Ven grinned at that. "Exactly- you're new, I'm USED to fighting with Terra and Aqua! With you it'd be different! C'mon, just one spar! Pleeeeeeease?"

"No!" Roxas crossed his arms, turning away stubbornly. "I'm _not_ fighting with someone who's trained with a freaking Keyblade! You can forget it!"

Ven sighed before dismissing his Wayward Wind Keyblade and picking up his wooden Keyblade. "Alright, how about I use this instead?"

Roxas blinked, surprised by this. "... Is that a toy?" he slowly asked. "I… you have a toy Keyblade?"

Ventus blushed in embarrassment, glaring in irritation. "I-it's not a toy, Roxas! It's Terra's old fake Keyblade, he used it for practicing! Now should I use it or not?"

The young Nobody sighed before crossing his arms. "You're not going to leave me alone unless I agree, are you?" Ven merely shook his head, grinning brightly. "Fine, I'll use… uh…" Roxas looked around before spotting a wooden toy sword nearby, probably there for when the three of them wanted to practice without using their real weapons. The blond future Nobody picked it up and got into his usual stance. "Okay, let's do this, but I suck!"

Ven grinned in excitement, spinning the wooden Keyblade around. "Alright, fine by me- let's go!" With that, he began charging Roxas.

Roxas responded by quickly blocking Ven's attack, the boy wasn't kidding when he said he was fast- still, Roxas was used to fighting fast enemies. The future boy jumped back and waited, he didn't want to seem _too_ good or that would give away too much and unwanted questions will rise. In fact, it's taking all his will just to _not_ try and exploit Ven's openings and strike at him. It's obvious that Ven, although pretty skilled, is still in training, since he was leaving so many holes open to attack.

The blond smiled at Roxas, before charging at him again. "HAAAH!" He slashed at Roxas's feet, and he quickly hit, sending Roxas to the ground. Though this didn't hurt him at all, the Nobody decided this was as good time as any to end the spar, any longer and he may accidentally let his own skills show through and that would be bad for him. "Hey- you okay, Roxas?"

"Ow… you hit hard and fast." Roxas groaned from the floor."You see? I told you I wouldn't last long." Ven pouted, and he rolled his eyes. "Well I DID warn you, Ven!"

The youngest student of Eraqus merely continued to pout before he grinned, getting an idea. "Well… if you're not good yet… Maybe we can get Master Eraqus to train you too!"

Roxas quickly sat up, frowning. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about training? I mean maybe it would help me win Struggle Tournaments, but I don't think I could take such trainings and pull off the moves you could. Not to mention I don't think your Master likes me very much…"

Ven shrugged, still grinning in excitement. "Well maybe not at first- but don't you want to use one of our Keyblades too? They're really helpful- and you can protect those you care for, too! That's the point Master Eraqus emphasizes the most- that Keyblades are meant to help others first."

"I'm sure they are, Ven, but really, I don't need a Keyblade. Where I live, hardly anything happens anyway." Roxas said nervously, hoping Ven would let it die. "Besides, isn't your Master going to take me back to my hometown after this big exam tomorrow?"

Ven blinked at that, as if just remembering. "...Oh. Right…." He chuckled sheepishly as Roxas rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Forgot for a couple seconds… B-but maybe we both can ask him if you can stay here, even if just long enough to learn how to fight better!"

"Don't you think I would have people back home who are missing me?" Roxas asked him, frowning a bit. _Not that there are any… Hayner, Pence and Olette never knew me anyway… I just made Axel a rouge… Wait, why do I want to leave? I wanted to know more about the Keyblade and why it chose me, but is there any real answer back in Twilight Town?_ "Actually… scratch that, I'm really nothing but a Nobody even in my own world."

Ven frowned at that, opening his mouth to speak before someone else hugged Roxas from behind! "Don't say things like that, Roxas- you seem like a wonderful person, even though it's only been a couple minutes that we've met…" Roxas froze, looking up to see it was Aqua hugging him like a mother would her child.

"U-uh…" Roxas blushed, not used to such affections. _People with hearts do this a lot with people they care about… Axel used to tell me this a lot when I asked him about it… but still…_ "Thanks, um… Aqua, was it? Look, no offense, but…" Squirming a bit, he quickly got out of her hug, trying not to be rude about it. "Why do either of you care about some stranger you just met? Shouldn't you be more wary? That I could possibly be a spy of the darkness and just took on Ven's appearance? Your Master seems to think so."

Aqua shrugged, giving Roxas a small worried frown. "Maybe he is worried, but… You shouldn't call yourself a nobody, no matter what- besides, you look so much like Ven that I feel almost convinced that you wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Roxas looked over at Ven, who was looking down blushing a bit in embarrassment, before looking at Aqua again. "Well… I wouldn't really know… Oh hey, you have the exam tomorrow, right? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

The blue-haired woman nodded, her eyes still shining with concern. "I was heading to bed when I heard you both talking… But I'm sure somebody cares about you at home- and Ventus shouldn't keep you from them!" She bopped said boy on the head when she was done talking. "Shame on you, Ven- you shouldn't keep people from those that care for them!"

"Aqua!" Ven whined a bit, blushing in pure embarrassment and shame. "W-what'd we talk about doing that!? It's embarrassing, and you know it!"

The future Nobody frowned a bit, feeling a little jealous at their interaction. "Heh… You two are almost like a parent and child, or at least like big sister and younger brother. I see people like that a lot when I walk around town…"

Aqua blinked before turning to the future boy, surprised. "... You make it sound like you don't have any yourself."

Roxas shook his head, hesitantly saying, "Well… I don't but-" He was interrupted by a tight hug from the blue-haired woman, and his eyes widened. "H-hey! Why are you hugging me?"

Aqua continued to hug the boy even as he began struggling, her eyes tearing up slightly. "Poor boy… you don't have any siblings or a mother? You must feel _horrible _when people walk by with their family!"

Roxas spoke muffled words in her chest as she hugged him so tightly that he couldn't move his face. He heard Ven laughing as his own face grew red from embarrassment- now he knew how most teenagers felt when their mothers get all emotional. After the smothered future Nobody finally got out of her hug, he took a moment to breathe before saying, "Okay, okay, enough, I'm fine! Geez… I know I'm 15 years old, but I'm not a child, okay? I can take care of myself, I have since I was born…" _Which was a year ago, but you don't need to know that._

Ventus sweatdropped, whispering in Roxas's ear, "Uh… you might want to run now." Confused, Roxas turned to him, not seeing the increasingly 'oppressive' aura around Aqua. "Seriously… Right now, Roxas, I'd- oh, too late…" He winced, and Roxas blinked, lost… before Aqua held him in a hug so tightly he grunted in pain!

"Poor Roxas! You had to take care of yourself for 15 years!? Who would just let such a terrible thing happen!?" Aqua muttered to herself, and to Roxas's surprise, some of those sounded like dark threats to those who let such a young child live on his own without any comfort or care.

"Whoa! You don't understand! O-okay, I may have exaggerated when I said 'since I was born'- the truth is, I only took care of myself for a year… See, I can't remember my life, I only remembered when I was 14 years old, so you can let go now, okay? … Aqua?" Roxas briefly wondered if he just dug himself a bigger hole. "Would it help if I told you a friend of mine took care of me?"

Ven merely shook his head, an amused grin on his face. "Ooooh boy… You just goofed, Roxas… BIG time." Roxas paled before Aqua practically broke his spine with her hug. "Hahahaha!" The boy with his spine intact nearly fell on his butt, still laughing at the sight of Aqua looking so sad while her victim- er, Roxas, struggled to breathe.

"Geez Aqua, let the poor kid go before you completely suffocate him and break his back- you've done that to too many pillows already!" Terra spoke up from behind, putting a gentle hand on Aqua's shoulder.

"Yes, thank you Terra!" Roxas moaned in pain as Aqua FINALLY let him go and he fell on his back, twitching. "You have NO idea how painful that was…" _And I thought Leech Grave had a tight grip!_

Terra chuckled at that, shrugging. "You'd be surprised… Especially with this woman's hugs." Aqua gave him an annoyed glare, and he smiled at her. "But that's why she's like the mother of the three of us- and she fits it to a T."

"Well someone has to take care of you two." Aqua said with a smile, shaking her head in amusement as her glare withered away at his statement.

Ven helped his lookalike up, and Roxas groaned as he got to his feet. "Okay… why is everyone in here? The exam is tomorrow!" Ven frowned a bit, turning to his two friends. "We all really gotta head to bed- I know the meteor shower was amazing and everything like that, but c'mon!"

"Well to be honest, Master Eraqus was asking about Roxas when he didn't see him in his room. It surprised him really since he wasn't expecting Roxas to wake up until morning, it's only been an hour." Terra confessed with a shrug.

"Y-yeah, I'm… a light sleeper." Roxas said with a nervous chuckle. "But look, I'm no spy and I didn't come on here purpose, and besides, it's not like I hold any weapons on me."

Aqua nodded, before frowning. "...You don't _actually _have weapons on you, do you Roxas?" The boy facepalmed. "Well, it's an honest question! You could hurt yourself if you're not careful!"

"Ugh, the closest thing to a weapon in my hands right now is this wooden toy sword. Ven insisted to spar with me… but let's just say that lasted about less than a minute." Roxas shrugged, sweatdropping.

Terra chuckled before looking at the slightly older look alike, an amused grin on his face. "You wanted to spar with someone with no experience? That hardly seemed fair."

Ven blushed in embarrassment, shrugging. "W-well, you know… He said he _did_ fight before, just not the best- besides, I'm always going up against you and Aqua, that gets boring after a while!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry we're so boring for you Ven!" Terra said, mocking hurt as he put a hand to his chest. "I guess we'll have to train you _harder_ then!" Ven paled and the older boy laughed.

"Wait, you fought before?" Aqua asked Roxas, blinking in surprise. "I thought you said you had no experience!"

The future Nobody shrugged, responding easily despite the lie. "Only in Struggle Tournament from time to time, nothing big. It's just a sports game, nothing like Keyblade training like you three seem to do."

Ven then grinned, remembering his idea. "Oh, yeah- I was thinking maybe Roxas could work with us! You know, train so he has a better idea of what he's doing- that way he gets a better idea of who we are!"

Terra and Aqua simply stared at Ven, making the older look alike feel a bit awkward for suggesting that. Roxas crossed his arms, shrugging. "Well I'm sure they don't want some outsider they know nothing about to join such a sacred training ritual."

Ven sweatdropped, quickly shaking his head. "N-no, no, I'm sure they don't mind at all! Right guys?!" He gulped, seeing a slightly ominous aura surround them. "...Guys? C'mon, it wasn't a bad idea!"

Aqua spoke first, frowning a bit. "Ven, Roxas is right about that… Outsiders are not usually meant to be trusted. Master Eraqus is still wary about him and we still don't know much about him."

"I know you want someone else to join, perhaps because he's almost the same age as you, but you should know, Ven, that unless he has approval from Master Eraqus or Master Xehanort, he can't join." Terra explained to their youngest member, shaking his head a bit.

Ven pouted, kicking the ground a bit sadly. "I thought it was a good idea though… Besides, it's not joining- just training together a bit…" he muttered under his breath, looking dejected.

Roxas sighed before smiling a bit, patting his older look alike on the back sympathetically. "Hey, thanks for caring Ven, but I think it's best if we just forget about it now. I'll go back to my room and sleep so you three can get some sleep for tomorrow's exam."

Ven gave the other blond a small smile, but Roxas could tell it was forced- Ven still felt like his idea was just rejected without even putting any thought into it. "Yeah… right- same here, I guess…"

So the four Keyblade Wielders head for bed that night. Roxas laid awake in his bed, knowing he couldn't just sneak out without causing some ruckus, especially from that paranoid Eraqus person. The future Nobody still wondered though… _Who brought me here and why? I want to know… either way, I guess I'll just stick with them until I find out what I'm supposed to do here…_

Roxas turned over in his bed and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep. This bed was much more comfortable than the one in his chamber room back at the Castle That Never Was.

* * *

The next morning… Roxas felt someone shaking him. The young Nobody grumbled, turning over sleepily. "Not now…" Again, he felt someone shaking him. "Demyx…" he groaned. "Lemme sleep more- I'll get to the meeting in 10 minutes…" But the figure wouldn't stop. "Enough Demyx! And don't you go blasting your cold water on me again!"

"Uh… who's Demyx?" an all too familiar voice spoke up, and Roxas froze. "I'm trying to get you up so you're not late for the Mark of Mastery exam- hurry up, Roxas!"

The young Nobody shot out of bed but ended up tangled in his blanket and falling off the bed and flat on his face! "Wah-" THUD! "Ow…" _Ven's here? … I guess it _wasn't_ a dream after all!_

The boy from the present time laughed, leaning down. "Need a hand up? You look like a mummy with those blankets of yours!" He grinned in amusement, beginning to tug on a corner of the sheets.

"... I guess I was just dreaming again… heh…" Roxas said, embarrassed as Ven helped him out of the tangled mess. "The exam's now? Why so early in the morning?"

Ventus blinked, looking at Roxas in confusion. "What're you talking about? The exam's in an hour or two- you just gotta shower and stuff! C'mon, up and at 'em, Roxy!"

"Ugh!" Roxas groaned as Ven pushed him into the bathroom. "H-hey! Don't push me!" He rolled his eyes as Ventus merely lay on his bed, before walking over to the sink.

During his clean up routine, Roxas couldn't help but think that this whole thing was surreal- first he was living in a virtual reality town and now he's suddenly 11 years in the past, talking with a duplicate and happy-go-lucky of himself and that there's more than just himself, Riku and apparently Sora that wields the Keyblade. Soon, the young Nobody came out of the bathroom, all cleaned up, before Ven all but dragged him out the door! "Whoa! No breakfast!?"

Ven shoved a Pop Tart into Roxas's mouth, but he didn't stop dragging the boy along. "No time, Roxas! We might be late- I'd rather not get Master Eraqus irritated and possibly ruin my chances for my own Mark of Mastery exam before I even take it!"

"Waf fat 'ota do' wif me?" Roxas shouted, his mouth still muffled from the Pop Tart. He munched on it a bit, before taking it out of his mouth with his free hand when Ven gave him a confused look. "I _said_, what's that gotta do with me?!"

The older blond blinked a bit before shrugging. "Well… don't you wanna see a _real_ Keyblade match?" Roxas blinked in surprise at that, before Ven began running even faster, literally dragging the boy along the floor by now!

Roxas does have to admit that he's curious to see how trained Keyblade Bearers battle… Eventually, he nodded. "Fine, but let me go, if you keep dragging me you may make me choke." Ven blinked before smiling sheepishly, putting the Nobody on the ground.

The two look alikes soon made it to the arena where the exam will take place. Master Eraqus, Terra and Aqua were already there. Roxas frowned in curiosity, however, when he noticed another person sitting next to Eraqus. "Who's the old guy?" he whispered to Ven.

The older blond shrugged, whispering back, "Master Xehanort… I don't really see him often, but he's the one who brought me here a while back- at least, that's what everyone said, I don't remember it well."

"Really? I think Terra mentioned him before, but I wasn't really paying attention." Roxas whispered back before both of them focused their attention to Terra and Aqua. Eraqus was giving them a speech about how the Mark of Mastery was not a test of skills but a test of heart, Roxas gave a mental chuckle. _Too bad I don't have one TO be tested on._

Then suddenly, Roxas sensed a strong darkness nearby. Having fought with many, many, MANY Heartless during his year of life with the Organization, he could easily sense darkness nearby, and this one felt _strong_. _What's that? Who could have such a strong and terrible darkness?_ The wary Nobody looked around the room… Xehanort seems to exhibit a lot of darkness himself, but he wasn't the one Roxas was sensing.

The boy in the present time noticed the boy in the future's sudden uneasiness. Thinking it was because of Master Eraqus's suspicions of him, he decided to try and comfort him. "Cheer up, Roxas- Master Eraqus won't suspect you if you just act natural! Don't worry about it, alright? I promise, everything'll be alright!"

Roxas looked back at Ven. _Come to think of it…I can't sense any darkness in Ventus at all… that's not natural…_ "If you say so… But it's Xehanort that gives me the creeps… he kinda reminds me of someone… someone very wise but also very cruel…" _Xemnas… those eyes, they're just like Xemnas's eyes…_

Ven frowned a bit, glancing over at the man himself. "Uh… yeah, I guess…" He gulped nervously, seeing yellow eyes stare right back at him. "...C-creepy…" He shuddered, gulping again.

"Let's just focus on the exam." Roxas said, sweatdropping nervously. "I rather not draw any unwanted attention from two Keyblade Masters." _OR that dark presence…Whatever it is..._

* * *

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Did you like it? I hope so. Now we're going to try and make a few things clear. Key, would you like to start us off?**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Gladly! *gives a small mock bow* Now first off, yes, Roxas doesn't want to show his Keyblades yet. Why? Because frankly, he's been trained to blend in with the worlds he visits- and he's already given enough away, with him calling himself a Nobody, he doesn't need more questions on top of that! After all, he's part of a SECRET Organization, he can't just reveal everything at once, if he has to at all. Fox, you wanna go next?**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ You forgot to say that most of all it's because he's in the _past,_ and he's from the _future_, meaning he _can't_ reveal himself unless he wants to drastically change the present, and most likely destroy the universe, you know how complicated and risky time travel is after all. Also, you may have noticed that Ventus, Aqua, and Terra's characters are a lot more… diversified than they are in the actual games- we do this because it helps give the story more character too. And yes, Aqua may have overreacted, but you have to admit it is pretty funny, and pretty true to her character.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Next on our list is why Roxas doesn't trust Xehanort like the others do. Well, frankly, there are three reasons. First, he doesn't know of or about the man, unlike the others to varying degrees. Second, he senses strong darkness- which is also something we'll cover- inside the man, and he's never had good experiences with that. And third of all, his eyes are just like Xemnas's. Ya know… the guy who tried to use him? Not a pleasant reason to recognize him…**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Now just remember that Roxas doesn't have all of Sora's memories, or at least consciously he doesn't, so he doesn't recognize Xehanort's name, at least not to a certain degree, and he never saw an old Xehanort in Sora's memories either- so yeah, don't expect him to know right off the bat who the man is. And as for sensing darkness, as we had said in the story, we believe that Roxas, being a Nobody and being able to use the darkness to travel between worlds, and having fought countless Heartless all his short life, naturally can sense the darkness around him and in people. The stronger it is, the easier it is to sense the darkness.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ And if you can figure out the other dark presence he sensed, good for you! You earned a virtual cookie! But for those of you who don't, relax, we'll explain it in due process- this is just the second chapter, after all!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And as for the battle scenes, I promise they will get better, but for now they're just 'tutorial' stuff, and you know tutorials aren't usually very long or exciting. So just wait and you'll soon get into the good stuff. Now I think we covered everything we need… Oh! One more thing. Key, shall we explain why Ven is so trusting to Roxas yet the others aren't? Especially Eraqus?**

**_Key2DestNE:_ But of course, mademoiselle! Well, first off, it's part of their characters. Ven's the more trusting, naive one, so of course he naturally trusts Roxas the most, even if the others have their doubts. Eraqus is also, from what we can see in his character at least, very stuck in his ways, and finds it hard to believe that someone who looks just like Ven could be up to any good. But for those of you who know the reason Roxas looks like Ven… *winks mysteriously* Weeeeell, that helps too~**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Alrighty then! I think that covers it. If you guys have any questions, feel free to PM either of us and we'll do our best to answer without spoiling anything.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ And until next time, we'll see you all later! Buh-bye! *waves* We'll be sure to add in a special character insert next time too if you're super nice~!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Now please leave a review on your thoughts of the chapter and we'll see ya next week!  
**


	4. Chapter 3: Troubles with Mastery

**_Key2DestNE:_ Hey guys, sorry we took so long to upload this today! In all honesty… we kinda forgot… *smiles sheepishly***

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Sorry, we kinda decided to trade Pokemon on X and Y, then we battled… Yeah, we forgot, sorry, but it's up now! And it's still technically Friday!**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Now then, this chapter's where some of the action begins. It's the exam, and then you'll see how things begin to change!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Yes, and poor Roxas is gonna be in the middle of it all! But we won't spoil anything until you read it~!**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Now then, we'll see you at the bottom of the chapter- we hope you like it!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Troubles with Mastery**

Soon, Eraqus took a few steps forward and cleared his throat, making all four Keyblade Wielders stand at attention, Roxas included. He looked at each of them before turning to Aqua and Terra. "...Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not just one, but_ two_ of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates- but this is neither a competition, nor a battle for supremacy. It is not a test of wills, but rather a test of _heart_. Both of you may prevail, but neither."

Roxas crossed his arms at that. _Well how would you test it on a Nobody then? That's what_ I_ would like to know… Eh, I guess since Nobodies, let alone Keyblade Wielding Nobodies don't exist yet, that's not really an issue._

The gray-haired man then smiled, looking over to his side. "But I'm sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did _not_ travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the mark. I trust you are ready." Both of them nodded, giving their agreement. "Then let the examination begin!" He summoned his Keyblade, making Roxas shudder slightly, before getting into a pose and causing balls of light to appear.

Terra and Aqua got ready to battle the balls of light, but then suddenly darkness began to cover the orbs. Roxas sensed the darkness coming from Xehanort, and it was at that moment the young Nobody knew that he cannot be trusted. Eraqus seemed surprised by this himself. Roxas frowned before seeing one of the orbs of light coming at both of them!

"Ven! Roxas!" Aqua called out to them as Ven quickly summoned his own Keyblade.

The older blonde knocked it away with a smirk. "Go ahead you two, complete your exam! Don't worry about us- I'll keep the lights at bay!"

"But Ven, it's not safe for you or Roxas out here. You better go back to your room!" Aqua quickly said, worried for both of their safeties. "And Roxas can't defend himself!"

Roxas frowned, looking at the orbs… They were scary and might pack a punch, but they didn't really seem all that threatening. The darkness was pretty weak, at best it would feel like Seifer trying to hit him with a Struggle Club.

Ven shook his head, frowning stubbornly. "Not happening! I've been looking forward to this- seeing you two become Masters! I'm _not_ gonna miss it now!"

Terra frowned a bit before looking at the balls of light and readying himself. "...He can take care of both of them. He's been out there training just as hard as us- and as long as he stays around that area he should be able to block all the balls of light!" Ven nodded in agreement.

"Alright Ven, and protect Roxas too!" Aqua said as she and Terra began slashing at the balls of light.

"Right, you can count on me! Stay behind me Roxas!" the older boy said to his look alike, preparing for battle.

"Right…" Roxas didn't really like having to play the defenseless boy that needed protecting, but summoning his Keyblade here is bound to for unwanted and hard questions- questions he _did not _want to answer, nor _could _answer if they asked him why he has a Keyblade. So the Nobody decided to just act like a coward and stay behind Ven.

Eventually, some of the orbs got past Ventus and came after Roxas, who reacted on reflexes and ducked before getting hit. Roxas frowned, turning to around to see Xehanort's hand moving around… meaning he was controlling where they go and who they attack, but why? Why attack Roxas if he was testing the other three? Roxas was sure he didn't make himself look like he could fight… Was it because he looked like Ven?

"Roxas! Look out!" Ven shouted suddenly, catching the younger Nobody's attention.

Roxas gasped as one of the orbs hit him in the chest and caused him to fall to the floor, it didn't really hurt but he decided not to get up right away to make it appear it hurt him.

Ven rushed over, looking Roxas over worriedly. "A-are you okay? I didn't notice the orb got past me… I'm so sorry!"

"I'll be okay…" Roxas said softly, trying to sound like he's groaning. "Just get rid of them before they attack you…!" Ven gritted his teeth, glaring at the orbs of light around them in irritation. Roxas blinked, seeing that look on 'his' face. _Why does he look so frustrated all of a sudden?_

The older boy glanced down at Roxas for a moment, nodding. "Right- be careful, I'll be back in a couple minutes!" He stood up, beginning to whale on every single orb of light that came close to Roxas without hesitation.

As soon as Ven went and destroyed more of the orbs, Roxas sat up and looked over at Xehanort, he seemed to be focusing on the orbs. The young Nobody wanted to know where that strong darkness was coming from, so he tried to look around while everyone else was distracted. He saw someone in a mask, but he didn't get a good look since the person was concealing himself behind the wall, and if he just casually walked over there that would make Roxas seem more suspicious to Eraqus.

Roxas frowned in slight irritation, glancing at Xehanort again- and he blinked, seeing the man now staring straight at him! Surprised and creeped out by this, he quickly stood up and tried to look down, but he couldn't escape the eyes… It's like they were studying him, like he was some new species of an animal that a scientist wants to learn more about. _Please stop staring at me… please stop staring at me…! He's worse than Xemnas, at least _Xemnas_ knows who and what I am!_

Eventually he glanced back up and saw Xehanort's eyes were finally off of him- and this time, focused on Ventus. Roxas frowned. _Why in the world is he focusing on the two of us? We're not even TAKING the exam right now! … Is it because he's wondering why we look alike? Hasn't he ever heard of a possibility of a twin?_

Roxas then noticed Terra had finished off the last of the orbs and he and Aqua were now standing in front of Eraqus, awaiting further orders. Ven was gesturing Roxas to come stand next to him now that it was safe. The Nobody decided to keep an eye on Xehanort though as he walked over to Ven.

The gray haired Master cleared his throat as he walked down the steps. "Well… That was unexpected. But one must keep a still heart- even in the most trying of times. It was an excellent test- one I _chose_ to let unfold." Roxas rolled his eyes at that. "Which brings us to your next trial." He gestured to the floor and both students on trial nodded, walking out to the middle and getting into their battle stances.

"So they're going to fight each other now?" Roxas whispered to Ven, who simply nodded.

"When two powers of the same level clash, their true nature is revealed. Keep the darkness in your hearts in check." Eraqus explained. "...Begin!"

Roxas looked on at Terra and Aqua, watching them battle each other, their Keyblades clashing. They are more experienced than Ven, so it gave Roxas a chance to watch how people trained under a master fight. At first it didn't seem anything Roxas himself hasn't done already- using some magic, and Keyblades clashing… But then it changed when one of them suddenly began firing some energy of light, almost like a rapid gun fire! Roxas could shoot basic magic from his Keyblade, but nothing to this extent… He watched in awe at this sudden new ability. "What- what is _that_?" he whispered to Ven.

The older human blond shrugged. "It's a Shotlock- pretty basic, actually. I know one too!" Roxas's jaw dropped, and Ven blinked. "...What? You didn't expect it to be basic?"

"W-w-well n-no… I mean, considering I don't use one myself, how _could_ I know, right? I mean it just looks like an advanced move since he shoots out a lot of energy from it…" Roxas felt jealous now, wishing he could've done that… It would've saved him a lot of headaches, especially from the bigger Heartless, like… like Dust Flier from Twilight Town or that big dragonfly Heartless in Neverland.

Ven chuckled, shrugging. "Well, it isn't- not the idea, at least. Yeah, he just shoots energy from it, but… All you have to know is how to compress energy on a Keyblade's tip, and then aim it so you don't just fire it randomly. It's actually really powerful, especially if you make a stronger Shotlock."

Roxas nodded, committing what Ventus just said to memory and hoping to use it one day himself. "Sounds cool then, you'll have to show me yours one of these days."

* * *

The battle went on for a few more minutes, then Roxas felt some darkness in Terra spiked a little before some darkness appeared in Terra's hand. Terra, noticing it, quickly dispelled it before Aqua came down at him and he blocked. A little bit more after that, Eraqus called the match to end and they both stopped immediately and stood at attention.

After speaking with Xehanort for a few minutes, he cleared his throat. "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both did quite well. However… only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Each of the Keyblade Wielder's eyes widened in shock. "Terra, _you_ failed to keep the darkness in you sufficiently in check. But… there is always next year, and our current issue with creatures, known as Unversed, may stay for just as long." Roxas blinked, confused by the new term. "That is all. Dismissed- Aqua, wait here for further information on this new threat."

As Eraqus left, Xehanort nodded to nobody in particular before leaving himself, to where Roxas sensed the powerful darkness. Ven hurried towards Terra, wanting to comfort his friend after being shot down. Roxas looked over at them and decided to walk away, wanting to give them some alone time while he tries to figure out that dark presences and what Xehanort is up to.

_It can't be a coincidence… Xehanort is too much like Xemnas for it to be a coincidence. He seems to know about that powerful darkness I've been sensing in this room… I wonder if they're connected?_ Roxas thought to himself, walking in the opposite direction. _Well, I can't risk going after them myself, not like this, or I'm going to get myself into more trouble than necessary. For now… I'll just talk to Eraqus, I need to find out what Unversed are… They might be this timeline's Heartless for all I know._

When he walked up to Eraqus, he nervously cleared his throat. The gray-haired man blinked, turning to Roxas curiously. "Oh, Roxas… What is it, are you ready to depart for home already?"

Roxas frowned, having forgotten that he was promised a way back to his homeworld. "... Actually, I wanted to know about these things you called the Unversed… Are they dangerous?"

Eraqus frowned, closing his eyes and crossing his arms contemplatively. "Well… it is unknown exactly _what_ they are for the time being. However, what _can_ be said is that they are causing danger to the many worlds apart from mine and yours, and they are quite dangerous."

"I see…" Roxas frowned. _So they_ are_ like Heartless then…_ "But if that's true, shouldn't I stay here then? You know, just in case I get attacked by those Unversed? I don't have any weapons to fight with…"

Eraqus frowned in thought at that, looking at Roxas with an odd gleam in his eye. "...I suppose it is possible for you to stay here for the time being, maybe learn more about fighting- but for now, I must go tell Aqua of her new duties as a Keyblade Master. Think about what you would wish to do while here while you wait…" With that, he walked back in, leaving Roxas nearby where he first crashed.

Roxas looked up at the sky, sighing to himself. _What to do… Whoever sent me back in time obviously had plans for me here, but… I still don't know what they could be…_ The young Nobody turned around and began walking, but then jolted when he felt that powerful darkness closer to him! Alarmed, he spun around to see that person in the mask again, but much closer this time. "Wh-what the? What do you want?" He came very close to summoning his Keyblade, but managed to hold himself back, hoping that if this figure didn't deem him as a threat, they would leave him alone and he could avoid drawing attention to himself.

"Hmph…" Roxas saw a boy wearing an odd-looking body suit and a black helmet. "You know, for looking so much like him, you really are a wimp." He turned his head towards Roxas, seemingly smirking. "Besides… aren't you curious about why you both look alike? About what all… _this_… is?" He gestured around. "The new worlds- everything opened up to you?"

Roxas was, in a way, relieved that the powerful dark figure didn't seem to know anything about him and was mostly curious about his similar appearance to Ven, but still… It seems this… boy, he assumed it's a boy, in a mask knows something about Ven. "Well yeah, it has crossed my mind why I looked like him, but neither of us knows why so we just kind of let it go. Besides, how could I possibly leave here anyway?"

The young man slowly pushed off of the rock he was leaning against, holding out a hand. "Simple… You follow me- I know exactly how to get off here… And how to learn why you both look so similar. Doesn't it feel so irritating, to know you look so alike, but act so differently~?"

Roxas felt uneasy, why does this guy suddenly seem interested in him? "Look, as you said before, I'm a wimp. Why bother with a wimp like me just because we happen to look alike? Everyone's got a double out there somewhere, maybe I'm just Ven's double."

The boy shook his head, waving a finger tauntingly. "If that's so… you'd better go after him, am I right~?" Roxas blinked. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're so stupid- he's _leaving_. And if you see him again… you won't even recognize him, Roxas. You'll be all alone again…" With that, the boy turned and opened up a dark portal next to him.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?! Hey!" But the boy in the mask already disappeared. Roxas blinked, surprised. "... The Corridor of Darkness? He can use that?" He shook his head before looking over at the castle, suddenly getting a bad feeling. This prompted Roxas to hurry back towards the castle, wanting to make sure everyone's okay.

* * *

Upon reaching the castle, Roxas saw Terra already walking out. He frowned in confusion, walking over to him. "Terra? What are you doing?"

Terra looked over at him, frowning a bit. "I'm going out right now. I have some things I need to do, Roxas."

"What? What things?" Roxas frowned, growing even more worried now. If _Terra_ was leaving somehow, was Ven really going to do the same? Roxas suddenly felt like everyone's leaving him behind, _again_… Just like with Hayner, Pence and Olette… and… even Axel… and someone… someone else… But he couldn't remember the name…

Terra, seeming to sense Roxas's fears, poked his forehead, making the blond Nobody blink in surprise. "Hey- no need to worry so much, I'll be back before you know it." He gave a small grin, turning, before someone else called out behind both of them.

"TERRA!" Roxas nearly jumped out of his skin, forgetting Ven's voice was just like his own that he almost thought another him was yelling Terra's name. Ven came running over to them, out of breath.

Terra, wanting to hurry and go now, patted Ven's head. "It's okay." he said, giving another smile before pushing the armor on his shoulder and, in a bright flash of light, was covered in armor!

"Whoa…" Both Roxas and Ven said in awe. Terra then pointed his Keyblade into the sky, making a giant sphere appear in the sky. Both boys' eyes widened as the older boy threw his Keyblade into the sky, letting it disappear for a split second before it returned as some kind of vehicle flier. Roxas's jaws nearly dropped at this! HIS Keyblade couldn't do that! … Could it? He never had tried… but… _Well it's not like anyone ever told me about these things!_

Terra quickly jumped on the newly transformed Keyblade, riding it like a motorcycle as he flew into the new sphere in the sky. Ven frowned in thought, glancing at his armor before smacking it.

"What the!?" Roxas blinked as he saw Ven in his armor. "I thought you said you weren't ready to wear it yet!" He looked the newly transformed look alike over. "What changed?"

Ven sighed, turning to Roxas. "I'm not supposed to be… and it looks awesome…" He looked at his hands with what Roxas guessed was a grin. "But… but I have to go after Terra- I won't let him be changed!"

"What do you mean he'll change?" Roxas frowned, confused. "Are you leaving to go with him?" He gulped, remembering what that guy in the mask said.

Ven shook his head, frowning. "No- I'm going after him! After that…" He paused. "After that, I dunno- but I have to find him, otherwise I'll never see him again!"

"W-wait, let me go with you then!" Roxas said quickly. "I want to see what's out there too!" _If Ven leaves… will I _really_ be alone? I… I don't want to take that chance._

Surprised, Ven jerked his head back a bit. "Huh? But… but don't you want to go home? I mean… Master Eraqus is gonna bring you home soon- I don't want him to be mad with you…"

"It's okay, I don't really have much of a home to go back to anyway. And I like to know what it takes to be a true Keyblade Master myself!" Roxas said. "Please, take me with you, maybe you can teach me how to fight like you wanted!"

Ven hesitated before summoning his Keyblade. "...I can't do any rite of initiation like a true Master, but… If you wanna come with… that's fine by me!" He tossed it up into the air, and with a flash of light, it turned into another Keyblade vehicle- this time it was almost a skateboard.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Roxas was in awe. _I've GOT to learn how to do that with my own Keyblade! It's so much cooler than the Corridors of Darkness!_ "Oh, but… how will I survive out there in space?"

Ven blinked, pausing. "Uh… hmm… Oh- maybe we can raid the armory! …" He sighed. "No… by the time we do that, we can't catch up to Terra…! Um…"

"Well… can't you share some of your armor on me or something? Is that possible?" Roxas asked him. "Or at least get a fishbowl on my head or something?"

Ven hesitated before holding out a hand. "Well- let's try it! C'mon, grab my hand!"

The Nobody nodded as he took Ven's hand, and in a flash of light, Roxas was in an armor exactly like Ven's! But when he let go of Ven's hand, the armor disappeared, "... Huh… I guess it only works if I hold on to you."

Ven nodded, frowning in thought. "Yeah… I guess we'll only use it when in the Lanes Between then- c'mon, jump on!" He quickly jumped on the Keyblade skateboard, holding out a hand for Roxas to use to climb up.

Both Ven and Roxas rode the Keyblade Glider up towards the sky, and to their surprise, they heard Aqua shouting, "Ven! Wait!"

"Eh? I think Aqua wanted to talk to you!" Roxas shouted over the loud rocket and winds.

The older boy just shook his head, still flying towards the giant sphere. "I can't do that- if I wait any longer, Terra's just gonna be gone, I won't be able to catch up in time!"

Roxas sighed, glancing back at the blue-haired woman, along with Eraqus beside her. "SORRY AQUA!" he shouted back just as they flew into the Lanes Between. "I hope she heard me… and I hope she's not mad at me… Women are scary when they're mad…"

Ven nodded, frowning worriedly. "Yeah- I'd better just hope that she doesn't find us!" When they entered 'space', he looked around. "Okay, uh… What's the first world closest to us…?"

"Hmm…" Roxas then noticed one with a lot of woods and a castle. "How about that one over there? It's the closest one."

Ven frowned, trying to go towards it, but his Keyblade skateboard suddenly stopped. "...Huh- we can't go in…" He frowned worriedly. "That… but what if that's where Terra went…?"

"I don't get it, what's wrong? Is there some kind of barrier?" Roxas asked, frowning from within the armor. _That's weird- why the heck would there be a barrier?_

Ven tried flying towards the world again, but his Keyblade flew back a bit. "W-whoa! ...Uh… looks like some kind of shield, yeah… But who would put it there?"

"Who knows… maybe we have to disable it? … Or maybe we should go to another world for the time being. If we can't get in I don't think Terra could either." Roxas said logically.

Ven frowned in thought, before slowly nodding. "Y-yeah… Yeah, probably!" He turned and began flying towards another world as Roxas glanced back at the previous world, feeling the barrier was enshrouded with darkness.

_I wonder if Xehanort or that other guy with the mask had anything to do with it…_ Roxas frowned, thinking as Ven landed to the next nearest world.

* * *

When they landed on a small cliff, Ven dispelled the Keyblade Glider and the armor, looking around. "...Hmm? Wha- whoa!" He blinked, rubbing his eyes as if unknowing what to expect. "Roxas- come over here and take a look!"

Roxas looked down and saw seven little men marching off to a cave… "I see seven little men marching off- do you think they saw Terra?"

Ven grinned in excitement, looking at the men as they walked the rest of the way into the cave. "I dunno, maybe- but either way, this is so cool!" He began to run towards the cave, before light blue creatures emerged from the ground. "W-whoa!"

"Wah?" Roxas jumped, startled. "What are these!?" _They're not Heartless- they have red eyes, not yellow… Are they the Unversed that Eraqus talked about? … Their darkness and negativity are pretty similar to Heartless though._

Ven summoned his Keyblade, quickly getting into a battle ready stance. "Roxas! Get behind me!" He looked around suspiciously, frowning slightly.

"Ven!" Roxas yelped as the Unversed suddenly surrounded them! Neither had time to react when a horde of them pushed Roxas away from Ven! "VEN!" _It doesn't look like he can help me… I guess I'll have to wait until I'm far away enough and take care of them myself!_

Ventus gasped, turning to Roxas and shouting worriedly, "Roxas! ROXAS!" He tried to run after the look alike, but the Unversed blocked his path, so he began bashing them all. "Get outta my way!"

Roxas continued his facade of weak struggles for a little longer until he's in the woods and is sure Ven can't see him. "Okay, now!" He summoned the Kingdom Key and this scattered the Unversed that were carrying him away. "Don't think I'm going down without a fight!" He immediately began whacking away at them with ease, though they were more flexible than Shadow Heartless and more slippery, they reminded him more of Dusks and they weren't too hard for him. Still, there were a lot and Roxas had to be on his toes. "Ha! Yah! Take that!"

Some of the Unversed tried to jump him at once, but Roxas easily jumped out of the way before pointing his Keyblade at them. "FIRE!" He shot out a fireball that burned a group of them before he strike them down. Then he shot out basic magic balls around himself, hitting the other Unversed that tried to lunged at him.

Soon after he defeated them all, Roxas began walking back towards the cliffs. There, he heard Ven shouting his name over and over. "Roxas!? Roxas, where are you!? ROXAS!"

Roxas jumped before he quickly picked up some mud and smashed some over his face and clothes, messing up his hair as well before dismissing his Keyblade and falling to the ground, looking hurt. "Ow! O-over here!" he cried out, trying to sound hurt.

Ventus quickly rushed over at the sound of his voice, sighing in relief. "Roxas, you're okay!" He began to look over the Nobody worriedly. "Are- are you hurt? They didn't do too much damage, did they!?"

"Ugh… I'm… I'm fine Ven… it's okay, I managed to get away…" Roxas said, sounding tired. "Ugh… Let's just… go before they… come back."

Ven frowned, nodding worriedly as he helped Roxas to his feet. "R-right… C'mon, let's head into the cave!" He began to walk with his 'twin' into the nearby cave, looking around. "Wow… That's a lot of jewels!"

"I guess this must be a diamond mine." Roxas said, looking around. "That's a lot of diamonds for a small mine, though…" _I'm going to need a bath…_

Suddenly, some voices spoke up, "Hey, who are you? How did you get here?" The two look alikes turned to see it was those seven little men.

Then one of them, a much more grumpy and angry looking one, snapped, "They're diamond thieves! They're here to take our diamonds!"

Roxas glared, growling out, "Hey! Don't go making assumptions like that! We have no interest in your diamonds!" To his irritation, though, the dwarves scattered, running deeper into the mine- other than a stupid-looking one, who slammed into a wall.

Ven winced, looking away in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you all…" He gave a sheepish grin as the dwarves slowly emerged.

"We didn't frighten them, they scared themselves with their own assumptions." Roxas frowned, crossing his arms. "Ugh… This is what happens when people don't confirm suspicions!"

One dwarf yawned, sleepily asking, "You mean… you're not here for our diamonds?"

Ven frowned, shaking his head. "N-no, not at all… And it's not very nice to treat us like some sort of bad guys! We just want to find a friend- his name's Terra. He's dressed like me, about this tall…" He gestured higher than himself.

"We ain't seen anyone like that, now git you diamond thieves!" the angry short one snapped, interrupting Ven's description.

Roxas gritted his teeth and had half a mind to knock some sense into that idiot little- "Does it LOOK like we're stealing your diamonds!?" he snapped, glaring at the angry dwarf.

Ven sighed, shaking his head. "Fine- guess we'll have to do this the hard way! C'mon, Roxas!" He began rushing after the dwarves, and they ran back deeper into the mine.

Roxas wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into these dwarves, mostly that little angry one. But as they looked, Roxas sensed some darkness nearby, and frowning, he left Ven to find the dwarves as he followed where the darkness was coming from. _What is that?_

The young Nobody stopped when he saw someone deep in the mine, this one was wearing… a black coat? "Who are you!?" Roxas demanded, knowing the Organization couldn't have existed yet if Nobodies didn't exist yet.

"..." The figure slowly turned to Roxas, crossing their arms. The mysterious figure didn't speak, instead it held out another black coat in front of Roxas and dropped it to the floor.

Roxas frowned, looking at the black coat on the ground before looking up… only to see the figure was gone. _That was weird… who was that?_ Curious, the young Nobody bend down and picked up the coat. "This is… just my size…" _But why would they give it to me?_

He continued to think it over before he heard someone rushing closer, and he quickly folded his coat and hid it in his pocket… Yes, he can keep it in his pocket, how else does he keep all his stuff like Potions and Ethers? Turning, he saw Ventus looking around. "Roxas, why'd you run off?" He frowned, crossing his arms in thought. "I still haven't found a couple of the dwarves…"

"I thought I saw someone running in here but… I guess it was just my imagination." Roxas said with a shrug. _Hmm… Maybe I can use this coat to my advantage…_ "Oh, I think I see one of them over there, Ven!"

The older blond quickly turned, looking around. "W-where!?" he cried out, still looking around. "...I don't see anyone, Roxas." He frowned, turning around- but nobody was there. "...Roxas?"

Roxas was walking out of the mine, feeling bad that he just left Ven like that, but he wanted to check something out… There was another darkness in this world and it felt similar to Terra's. The young Nobody looked back at the mine, frowning a bit. "I'm sorry Ven- I'll be back, but I want to check something out." As he turned, he took out his black coat and put it on, using the hood to cover his face and he hurried towards the woods, passing a small cottage.

* * *

The boy from the future wasn't sure where he was going or what he was looking for, but he wanted to see if he could find some answers as to why he's here… Come to think of it, it seems he's _always_ looking for answers. Roxas was about to reach a clearing when suddenly something appeared in front of him. "Huh?" He jumped back, surprised at the sudden appearance.

It was the boy in the mask, and he seemed almost as surprised as Roxas is- not that the Nobody could really tell since that mask covered the other boy's face. Then again, his own face is sealed away too… "Hang on- who the heck are you?" He crossed his arms. "That cloak doesn't seem familiar at all- so why do you seem so familiar…?"

Roxas stood there for a minute, as if contemplating if he should disguise his voice, before speaking. "I am just a lonely traveler is all. I am only passing through, you need not worry about me." He tried to sound like Saix or Xemnas here.

The boy frowned, his fist clenching. "I see… But you know… you don't strike me as a 'lonely traveler'- you're almost my age, aren't you?"

"I'm only a little short, that does not make me your age, young one. Now if you'll please excuse me, I want to continue to explore." Roxas said, hoping this guy would leave him alone- the amount of darkness this boy is radiating is nearly choking to the young Nobody.

The boy growled, taking a step closer to the cloaked Nobody. "Shut up- NOBODY tells me what to do, got it!? Not you, not that little brat Ventus, NOT ANYBODY!"

"I only wanted to keep walking in peace, I do not know why you are getting angry." Roxas frowned, crossing his arms.

The masked boy was silent for a moment before stepping back. "...Fine- but you'll have to get past me first, 'old man'. It's either that or take another route!"

The young Nobody frowned, but was preparing to turn around when the masked boy suddenly came in front of him again! "H-hey!" Roxas responded by jumping back at his sudden appearance. "Ugh, what do you want!?"

The boy chuckled darkly. "...I've changed my mind. You seem strong… so how about a little… spar?" He held out one hand to the side, and to Roxas's shock, pulled out another Keyblade! This one had a definite gear style to it, and on both ends- the hilt and the blade- was a blue eye that stared at Roxas.

Roxas didn't like where this was going, but it seems the masked boy isn't going to let him go without a fight. The Nobody tried to fight without his Keyblade at first, using only his magic- he fired a Blizzaraga at the masked boy, hoping to freeze him, but the masked boy only deflected it with his Keyblade and charged at him!

"TAKE THIS!" He slashed at the cloaked Nobody, who quickly Dodge Rolled out of the way. "Hmph- running away. Not going to happen!" He charged Roxas again, this time slashing down at his ankles.

"Ugh!" Roxas groaned in pain. _This guy is too tough for me to fight without the Keyblade! Ugh… I guess I have no choice…_ The future Nobody got back to his feet and held out his hand, surprising the masked boy when he summoned the black Oblivion Keyblade. Roxas decided he'll need a heavy hitter like Oblivion to take this guy out. "I guess I'll have to fight you with my own Keyblade!"

The boy was silent for a moment, but he suddenly chuckled. "Heh… I suppose I should have expected such strength from another Keyblade Wielder. Fine then… Let's rumble!" He charged Roxas, doing a triple combo.

Roxas responded by parrying him with his Oblivion, and he managed to get a few hits on him before the boy in the mask shot out some energy beams at him. Roxas's eyes widened from in his hood. _The Shotlock!_ He quickly jumped and began gliding through the air, dodging the energy beams coming at him.

The masked boy growled. "How the heck can you FLY!?" he snapped, firing off a couple more Shotlock strikes before jumping up into the air and slamming Roxas back to the ground with his Keyblade.

Roxas hissed, but he wasn't out yet- he then began to guard against the energy beams from the second Shotlock strikes, sending them back towards the boy in the mask. "I learn from every attack you send at me you know, doing it again will only bring your downfall!"

The boy in the mask then suddenly teleported behind Roxas, seemingly smirking. "Not bad, but not fast enough." Before Roxas could to anything, he strike at the Nobody from behind, sending Roxas into a tree, but the blond recovered quickly and hit the tree with his feet to launch back at the boy in the mask and striking him with his Oblivion.

"Gah!" He chuckled faintly, shaking his head softly. "Not bad… guess I don't have to hold back like I would against that other wimp…" He tossed his Keyblade at Roxas, who blocked it, and it rushed back at the masked boy who quickly caught it. "You've earned the right to my name… Vanitas- don't think of it lightly!" Roxas blinked, startled, and in that one second Vanitas disappeared before slashing at him from behind!

"Argh!" Roxas groaned, falling to the ground slowly before quickly rolling and sliding down on the ground with his Keyblade, hitting at the boy- no, Vanitas's feet. He managed to graze the boy's leg, but Vanitas otherwise dodged it by jumping and slamming down on Roxas! Roxas hissed but used Aero magic to cover himself in blading wind to sting Vanitas the longer he stayed on him.

The newly named boy grunted in pain, jumping off, but he tossed his Keyblade at Roxas, hitting him straight on- this sent Roxas flying back at the tree, and this time he slammed into it, sliding to the ground. "Hmph… You're strong- but not strong enough." Vanitas grabbed his Keyblade out of the air, walking towards Roxas and preparing another strike. "My Void Gear was too strong for you, it seems- one more strike should do!"

"I don't… think so…" Roxas panted, using his Keyblade as a crutch to help himself stand up. "HEAL!" He hastily used Curaga on himself to heal most of his wounds. _This guy is tough, I may have to use Oathkeeper too…_ "Don't count me out just yet… I've still been holding back."

Vanitas growled at that, slashing at Roxas's head. "What!? Why you- fight me with everything you have, you coward! I WON'T let you just pity me by holding back!"

Roxas dodged his slashes, frowning under his cloak. "I wasn't holding back for your sake, Vanitas. I didn't want to have to bring out my full power. But it seems you're too powerful for just one Keyblade alone… Tell me Vanitas, have you ever seen anyone wield two Keyblades before?"

Vanitas paused at that, but he jumped into the air, firing a Dark Thundaga at the ground, forcing Roxas to dodge. "That's impossible… NOBODY can use two Keyblades, not even a Keyblade Master! You're bluffing- and I don't like it when people bluff!" With that, he charged Roxas, slashing as hard as he could.

"Well, that's good because I'm not bluffing… and I _am_ a Nobody." Roxas said as he held out his other hand, and Vanitas stopped in pure shock when he saw him summon Oathkeeper in his other hand, clearly holding TWO Keyblades.

"W-what…?" He dropped his Keyblade in shock, taking a step or two back. "You… you can use _two_!? Who are you!?" He quickly regained his senses, summoning Void Gear to his hand and preparing for another clash between the two- this time seeming much more wary.

Roxas, with two of his Keyblades in hand, began his deadly combos in a frenzy at the masked boy. Like with Axel before him, Roxas was not giving Vanitas time to move or recover, doing as much damage as he could until the boy can get out of his combos. Eventually, Vanitas was able to jump away and didn't seem to want to get too close, knowing getting too close at this rate would only get himself killed. So he would have to try some distant attacks to distract the two Keyblade Wielding boy and get in close with a perfect strike.

Vanitas panted a bit, chuckling under his breath. "Not bad… You've definitely earned that strong aura around you." Roxas blinked at that, before Vanitas jumped into the air and dove back down, diving into the ground as he slashed at Roxas!

Roxas frowned, but knew that a lot of enemies in the past had done the same thing, so he used his two Keyblade as a couple of crutches to lift himself into the air to parry the attack with a CLANG before landing on Vanitas's head with his feet.

The masked boy grunted, falling back. "Ow! Why you little…!" Roxas chuckled a bit, seeing a clear footprint on Vanitas's helmet. "You'll pay for that!" He slashed, causing a giant fireball to emerge, before it split into three, homing in on Roxas.

Roxas remembered Riku did this with his Dark Firaga before, and he managed to guard against the fireballs before he gasped when Vanitas was suddenly above him and slammed his Keyblade at his head! Roxas fell back at another tree. Groaning in pain, the Nobody slowly stood up before giving a small smirk. "Well… I guess… you just activated… my limit."

Vanitas paused, frowning at that. "What? What do you mean by li-" Roxas suddenly charged Vanitas, glowing in pure light! "Whoa!" He tried to dodge, but Roxas slashed at Vanitas, connecting the strike as hard as he could. Next, Roxas summoned these pillars of light energy- they may not be Shotlocks, but they were powerful all the same. The pillars of light struck mercilessly at Vanitas and caused him to be hit way back, all the way into several trees at once!

Eventually, Vanitas groaned, standing up and using his Keyblade as a crutch. "Heh… You're a lot more powerful than I expected." he commented with a small grin that Roxas sensed. "But… I've got one last trick up my sleeve!" Roxas frowned in confusion, before Vanitas vanished and slashed at Roxas's back! The Nobody was sent flying into the tree, and his hood finally fell off from the impact. "Heh… Perfect- now to see-" He froze, seeing Roxas slowly lift his head. "...VENTUS!?" He jumped back in shock as Roxas slowly stood up once more.

"... What?" Roxas in confusion frowned before realizing his hood was off. _Oh dang it, it must've fallen off when I hit that tree! Now he knows who I am…! …No, wait… he thinks I'm Ven?_

Vanitas growled, his hand clenching tighter around his Keyblade. "How in all the worlds did _you_ get so strong so quickly!? And what's with the coat, anyhow!? What, feeling too high and mighty to wear your previous outfit!?"

Roxas responded with casting Curaga on himself so he could at least stand without hunching over. "... No… I'm not Ventus, I'm just Nobody." He still held on to his Oblivion and Oathkeeper in case Vanitas decides to attack again.

"..." Vanitas paused. "...You said that before…" Then he tensed, finally realizing something. "...Hold on… ROXAS!? _You're_ the one who could use _two_ Keyblades!?" Roxas said nothing, and the masked boy clenched his Keyblade again. "Hmph… I should have known- you kept insisting you were ordinary, even though you look exactly like _him_… So this is what you were hiding, hmm?"

"..." Roxas still didn't say anything, he didn't seem too happy that his identity's been revealed, especially to the enemy- he was more worried about what's going to happen now that this Vanitas knows that he can wield not one but two Keyblades. Terra, Aqua and Ven weren't ever going to forgive him if they ever found out…

Vanitas chuckled to himself, shaking his head in amusement. "The old coot's going to have a heart attack when he finds out…" he muttered to himself, sounding excited. "Well… Roxas… I suppose I'll see you some other time." He turned, opening up a Corridor to Darkness. "But we _will_ meet again… You've just changed everything for the better."

"Yeah, well, somehow I highly doubt that." Roxas glared irritably as he watched Vanitas disappear into the Corridors of Darkness.

* * *

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Weren't expecting that, were you? WERE YOU?**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Relax, Fox! … *ahem!* Anyways, I think having Vanitas fight Roxas was a nice touch, don't you all agree~?**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ This is probably one of our longer chapters, and the first taste of how we're going to write battle scenes for Roxas. We won't be describing the lesser enemies much, if at all- we'll only do the important/boss battles since if we had to describe every single fight, we'll get bored, you'll get bored, and everyone gets bored! Things like that should be left in the video games only.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ BUT, at the same time, we'll have more suspenseful scenes, ones that include more character development along with mysteries- such as that figure in the cloak! Now you most likely won't know who it is now, but you'll find out closer to the end.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And now… you might be wondering why Vanitas actually went to Roxas and wanted him to leave The Land of Departure when he had no knowledge of the boy. Well, it's because of his strong similarities to Ventus, and he wanted to know what the boy was capable of- he was also suspicious with how Roxas acted too. Don't worry, he still went to Ven to convince him to go after Terra too, he has to anyway to get him to leave. And in the battle, Roxas got a little too hasty and desperate, so he used both Oathkeeper and Oblivion, his signature dual wielding ability- and that's gonna cost him.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Heh… Yeah, it'll cost him a _lot_. *chuckles* Just like him leaving Ven so suddenly… You think the boy's gonna take that so easily? Trust me- he's not. As for why our favorite Nobody did that in the first place… Well, Roxas is still paranoid- he doesn't wanna change the timeline, especially by accident, so he's going to keep trying to avoid the three Keyblade Wielders… At least at first.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Too bad fate- *ahem* the plot- *ahem* doesn't want that for him~ I think we've covered a lo- oh, wait. You may have noticed that Master Eraqus's speech mirrors the one in the game. The reason for that is because, like we said in the Prologue, we want to keep it as close to the game canon as possible, but with our own twists.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Precisely- so while we may quote some lines from the game verbatim, more formal things, such as Eraqus's speech, will be as close as possible, if not exactly alike, the game, with maybe one or two adjustments to fit Roxas in.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Okay, now, I think we covered everything. If anyone has any questions… You know, questions that involve the story or if something doesn't make sense to you, ask away. But please no trivial questions like 'what style or elements' Roxas uses- you should know if you played the game, if not at least have an idea when we do the battles. And don't ask 'what's going to happen next', because that would be spoiling the story.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Besides, the worlds will be the same, even if the events will be vastly different- including a few boss battles we fit in just for our favorite Nobody~ *winks* Have a good night, everybody- and don't forget to read and review!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And spread the word- we want a lot of people to read and enjoy this, both of us put our hearts and soul into this story, so we'd really appreciate it if more people read and review! So, until next time… see ya!**


	5. Chapter 4: Hiding One's Self

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Hey readers, Kingdom Hearts and Roxas's fans! So glad to be here today!**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Yep, that's right- it's time for Roxas's Story to be updated! This is around the time that we REALLY get into the action and the story, so be sure to stick around- we'll always be sure to add one little twist to keep you going!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And this will show you how the transition between Ven, Terra and Aqua will work since Roxas will end up with three of them during their journeys here. Also, I want to discuss some issues the reviewers had for the story. Some were worried we'd make Roxas too overpowered, but the truth is, he IS in a whole other league compared to the three in-training students, even Aqua. Remember, this takes place AFTER 358/2 Days.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ *nods* Precisely- besides, this is in the beginning of their own growth, so as strong as they were in the beginning of the game, you have to remember they'll be a lot stronger by the end. It's similar to Before and After pictures- Roxas is at the end of the game, while Ven, Terra and Aqua are all at the beginning, so of course there's a bit of a leveling difference for now!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ But if you're still worried we made Roxas 'too overpowered', just keep reading the story. We went into it knowing the strengths and weaknesses the young Nobody has, and we know what we're doing- we're trying to keep it as close to canon as possible, as well as adding our own personality spices to it, so if Roxas IS too strong for a certain enemy, it's because he was strong in his own right, not because WE made him too strong. But trust us, his own powers will not make the story 'too bland', okay? We've found ways to adapt to his own levels compared to the other three.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Right- now onto the next complaint. One of the reviewers suggesting flat-out making Roxas replace Ventus. Well, while that WAS a possibility, in all honesty, their personalities are too far apart- Ven's a happy-go-lucky optimist most of the time- much like Sora- while Roxas is much more pessimistic Nobody. It'd be difficult to mix them up like that… Not to mention their clothes, their Keyblades- honestly, that'd make MORE questions than this.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ I think they were mostly complaining how 'time travel in Kingdom Hearts don't work like that'. And how do you know? Time travel doesn't have any specific rules, there could be multiple ways to travel through time- Young Xehanort's is just ONE way, it doesn't mean it's the ONLY way.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ That's true… Well anyways, we've kept them too long- we'll put any more announcements at the bottom. For now, on to the story! *presses a button to start the script***

* * *

**Chapter 4: Hiding One's Self**

With the threat, Vanitas, gone, Roxas dismissed both of his Keyblades and he sat down, sighing tiredly as he groaned. "Can't believe how badly I screwed up… I should've just stuck with Ven…" he muttered to himself, now realizing just how badly he might have ruined the timeline by now. "Vanitas knows… and he's probably working with someone else- whoever brought the Unversed forth- so the big bad knows…!"

"UUUUGH! I can't believe how STUPID I am!" Roxas shouted to himself in frustration, punching the tree behind him as he slowly stood up.

"Why do you think you're stupid?" a woman said suddenly, catching the boy off guard.

"Wah!?" He jumped in shock and grabbed his hood as if hoping whoever spoke to him didn't get a good look at his face!

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to frighten you." the woman spoke softly as Roxas turned, his face completely flustered, and he saw it was indeed a young pretty woman with black hair, wearing a blue and yellow dress. "I'm sorry…"

Roxas blinked, slowly putting the hood down. _…Wasn't this woman from… Sora's memories…? Probably… but I only saw her briefly... _"Uh… it's fine… What's your name, miss?"

"Oh, it's Snow White, it's nice to meet you." she answered happily, giving a cheerful smile.

"Uh… h-hi, Snow White… um… What are you doing out here?" Roxas asked her, frowning a bit nervously.

"Oh… well I met with a nice young man earlier while I was picking flowers, but these weird and scary creatures chased me here. I was so scared… but a nice boy who… looks an awfully lot like you told me to go to a cottage around here, he's scouting ahead for anymore monsters. Are you two twins?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.

Roxas blinked before connecting the dots, and his eyes widened in surprise. "I think you spoke with Ven… Wait, who was the 'nice young man'? Did you get his name? Could you explain what he looked like?"

Snow White frowned in thought, before slowly nodding. "I believe your twin… Ven, was it? He said the man's name was Terra…" She smiled brightly. "Are you looking for him too? Ven said he was, and for a someone who looked like him named Roxas… are you Roxas?"

Roxas gave a nervous chuckle, "Uh… well… Y-yeah, I am, but I'll go see Ven later. I want to see if Terra's okay." He glanced around, shrugging. "Do you know where you saw him? I'll try to work from there!"

Snow White smiled, giving a bright nod. "Uh-huh, I think so- it's… that way, I think!" She pointed behind her, and Roxas blinked, seeing a light a bit far off in the distance- most likely the exit.

"... Um… well… thanks, but maybe you should-" Roxas was about to say something when he heard Ven's voice.

"I think they're mostly gone!" he called out, and there was rustling in the direction of his voice. "Ugh- hang on, I'll be right there!"

Frowning, Roxas turned to Snow White. "Well it looks like you're in good hands. But you never saw me, so I gotta go, bye!" he said rather quickly before running off to where she pointed him.

Soon, the now cloaked Nobody burst out of the woods and emerged in a meadow. Roxas blinked, looking around to see nothing but flowers and green grass all around him. Off in the distance was a large castle, and Roxas whistled at how huge it was… It looked bigger than the clock tower back home! "Nice… I wonder if Terra's in there?"

Roxas ran into some Unversed along the way, but they weren't too much of a threat, he just used his Kingdom Key to take care of them until he reached the castle. "... Oh geez, this place is such a maze!" He then sensed some darkness ahead, one of them was small and felt like Terra while the other was much larger and … kind of creepy. Roxas hurried towards where he felt the darkness, frowning in worry.

The young Nobody soon came up the stairs and hid behind the wall when he heard talking, and he peeked from the wall and saw Terra arguing with an elegant yet cruel looking queen, and she must be one with the large amount of darkness he was feeling earlier. Roxas looked at his coat, frowning in thought. _Should I hide my face or take this off? … well… I don't want to risk Terra finding me suspicious and fighting with me… Worlds know I can't risk getting discovered AGAIN. But then he'll probably wonder why the heck am I here…_

As Roxas thought to himself, he didn't even notice Terra getting sucked into the mirror next to the woman! His thoughts were suddenly halted as he heard someone talking to him. "How did another one of you get in here!? Begone!"

Roxas jumped and noticed Terra was gone. "Wha- What did you do with Terra!?" Roxas demanded as he grabbed his coat, she already saw his face so no point in hiding it, so he threw off his coat, at least this way if Terra saw him he'll see him as Roxas rather than a suspicious figure. The Nobody made a mental note to pick it up later.

The queen frowned, crossing her arms. "Hmph- you mean that lying brute? He is being dealt with as we speak. Now get out, right now!" She pointed to the door behind him, glaring irritably.

"What? Where is he!?" Roxas demanded as he noticed the mirror beside her was covered in some kind of green goop… And that's when he saw Terra running around in there, smacking a creepy face. "... Okay… mirrors… right…" He then looked over at her before seeing a dark aura around her. "Wh-what's happening to you?"

The queen scowled, turning and picking up a staff. "If you won't leave willingly, you little brat, I suppose I'll have to force you out!" She turned back to Roxas at that, waving the staff around as the dark aura increased.

Roxas glared. _Great, I get one fight right into another… Eh, it's nothing really new, but it gets old after a while. _He jumped back and summoned his Kingdom Key again, he sensed she's pretty wicked and somewhat strong, but nowhere near Vanitas's level, he knew he could handle her, he just has to be careful.

The queen looked angry as she saw a similar weapon in the boy's hand. "You! So you DO have another one of those swords! I will CRUSH you!" She seemed to be controlling several bottles of potions around her, all aiming for the Nobody.

"... Uh-oh…" Roxas quickly used Reflect as she forced all the potion bottles at him. Reflect created a shield barrier around Roxas and it kept him from getting hit and possibly mutated from those dark potions. "Okay, glad I know how to use Reflect…" Then he tried charging at her, but he was having trouble trying to get in without getting hit by those potions. "Whoa!" He dodged the splash from one of the potions, although it was very close to hitting him.

The queen scowled, beginning to wave the staff around. "You won't be escaping this!" She began sending magical waves at Roxas, and the boy kept on trying to dodge.

Roxas was trying to figure out the best way to get in close to her without getting hit, but he knew he had to risk it or this battle would go on forever. The young Nobody jumped and glided at her, barely dodging those waves, though some did hit him. Each waves hurt differently, one burns, the other felt like a sharp ice shard hit him, another electrocuted him while another felt like it was suffocating him with poison, Roxas knew he had to watch himself here, this lady obviously knew her magic.

Eventually, Roxas got close enough that the waves, which started a couple feet away from the queen, could no longer hit him. She scowled, before hitting him upside the head with her staff! "Begone, you horrible, horrible _brat_!"

Roxas hissed before he whacked the staff out of her hand with his Keyblade, and with her defenseless, he began whacking her with his air combos since she was floating in mid-air. He managed to get some good hits on her before she recovered and send him back with a huge wave of darkness, almost making him hit the wall. "Why you little- don't _touch _me, you monster!" She grabbed her staff, beginning to toss the potions at him once more.

Roxas, having seen this attack before, decided to get a little more bold this time. He hit one like a baseball with his Keyblade and sent the bottle back to her! The queen let out an ear deafening screech as she was hit by her own potion, and she seemed to be paralyzed as if hit with electricity. Roxas took this chance to charge at her and hit her again. This time, he managed to slam her into the ground.

By now, the queen seemed to be getting desperate, and she began summoning more waves of darkness. Roxas gasped when he looked up and saw furniture was floating around him, they too were covered in darkness… It seems the queen was controlling them. Before the boy could react, though, the pieces of furniture flew straight for him, hitting Roxas right in the head.

"Agh!" He gritted his teeth in pain, getting battered by wooden pieces hurt- but he managed to do a Reversal on one, and began to run from the huge onslaught of wooden furniture as they crashed into the ground behind him. Soon, though, the queen ran out of furniture and she resorted to larger magical waves, ones Roxas could barely dodge.

_Ugh, I hate this attack!_ Roxas was trying his best to escape them with Dodge Roll and Glide, but they were coming in fast and there were so many of them… A few did manage to hit him, he got burned and electrocuted from some. "HEAL!" He had to cast Curaga on himself a few times, especially whenever he got poisoned. Finally, he used his Keyblade as a boomerang and tossed it at her! The Keyblade hit her twice as it came back to Roxas's hand, and he finished it with aiming the tip of his Keyblade at her and shooting a beam of light from it. The light caused her to scream as the darkness that was controlling her faded.

"Ugh… guh…!" She gasped, clutching her heart in pain. "F-fine… Stay here, you brat!" She rushed past him as fast as she could, but Roxas quickly held out his Keyblade to stop her. "What do you want now!?"

"Stay here, I'm sure Terra will want to have a word with you once he gets out." Roxas said to her. As if on cue, the mirror began to glow, and the young Nobody quickly dismissed his Keyblade just before Terra himself came out of it.

The brown-haired Keyblade Wielder took a moment to regain his bearings, as the queen gaped in shock. "H… How did you escape!?" she demanded. "The mirror was supposed to-"

Terra gave her a glare, dispelling his own Keyblade. "Well you don't mess with someone like me." Then he noticed Roxas and blinked in surprise. "... Ven? … No… Roxas? What are you doing here? … HOW did you get here?"

Roxas gave him a nervous grin, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh… funny story…" he started to say. "But… uh… maybe I can tell you later, didn't you have something you wanted to ask this queen?"

Terra frowned a bit, giving Roxas one more glance before walking towards the queen. "Now… Tell me where I can find Master Xehanort, now!"

Said queen gritted her teeth, before tiredly turning to the mirror. "Magic mirror, instruct this knave- give him the answers he doth crave!"

The mirror paused for a moment, before saying, "Beyond both light and dark he dwells, where war was waged upon the fells." Roxas frowned, still surprised that Terra was searching for Master Xehanort, but also just confused by what the mirror meant.

Terra seemed to be thinking too, before looking back up at the mirror. "Is that all?" the mirror didn't answer, probably because it only answers to the queen herself. "... Right, well thanks, you were a big help. Now Roxas… Come with me, we need to talk."

Roxas gave a nervous nod, gulping slightly. "R-right…" He turned and quickly took his black coat on the floor before he followed Terra out of the castle. "So… uh… what did you want to say?"

Terra took a deep breath before crossing his arms, a slightly irritated look on his face. "How did you follow me? And for that matter, why are you here now, Roxas? You should be back at the Land of Departure- I'm fine!"

"Well, about that, see… Ventus seems to be worried about you and decided to-" Roxas was about to explain until Terra interrupted him, wanting to scold a 'naughty and defenseless kid' for leaving 'the safety zone' and into dangerous territory like that.

"Roxas, you shouldn't have followed me, no matter what Ventus thought!" he said, still frowning in irritation. "I know you both care, but nothing has happened to me- I'm simply following a mission, that's all!"

"A mission? For what and for whom? Eraqus?" Roxas frowned, crossing his arms in irritation. "You seem to be looking for Xehanort, is that what Eraqus told you to do?" Of course, since Roxas wasn't trained by Eraqus himself, he doesn't consider him his own master.

"..." Terra hesitated. "Well… Yes, but I'm not sure you need to know that." He sighed. "Master Xehanort's gone missing… and the princesses of heart are in danger- so Master Eraqus instructed us to eliminate the Unversed and find Master Xehanort. Hopefully now… I can finish part of the mission and return home- something _you_ should do, Roxas! Go home- it isn't safe without a weapon or experience!"

"Well, that's the thing… my home doesn't really exist anymore… and I have no way back to the Land of Departure on my own… You see, Ven-" Once again, Terra interrupted him.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll have to bring you back myself." He sighed. "I suppose you're sticking with me for now… I'll have to find Master Xehanort- then we'll head home." Then he frowned a bit. "...Now what were you saying about Ven?"

"I was saying that's he's-" Roxas about to say when Unversed suddenly appeared before them. _Seriously!? What's with all these interruptions!?_

Terra frowned, summoning his Keyblade. "Roxas, stay back!" he quickly commanded. "I'll handle these- then we'll head to another world to find Master Xehanort!"

"You're really going to take me with you?" Roxas asked in shocked, he was sure Terra would try and send him back to the Land of Departure first before looking for the creepy old coot.

Terra grumbled, nodding irritably. "Well, you're unable to return home on your own- and I'm not going to return home myself until my mission is done! But if we see Aqua, I'm going to pass you on to her- apparently she's more experienced, so she could keep you safe better!"

"Hey! Don't treat me like a kid." Roxas pouted as Terra swipe his Keyblade at the Unversed. The Nobody watched Terra's moves as he fought, he was a lot more slower than Vanitas and Ven were, but his strikes were a lot more powerful and his techniques more than make up for it. The Unversed were soon defeated and Terra threw his Keyblade, turning it into the Glider.

Then the man summoned his armor, turning to Roxas. "I suppose you'll have to climb on- but do you have a way to protect yourself against darkness?"

"Um… well… Could your armor keep me protected?" Roxas asked, remembering how Ven's armor spread to him as long as he was touching him. "I think it might be able to work!"

Terra frowned inside the armor. "...I'm not sure how you plan to use my armor- it's too big for you, and-" Roxas touched him, and the armor appeared on him. "...I guess that might work."

Terra gave a shrug as Roxas jumped on and he flew up into the Lanes Between. Roxas looked down at the world he was leaving, remembering that he just kinda left Ven. _Sorry Ven… I hope you'll forgive me._

Terra flew through the Realms In-between World with Roxas clinging to his back, and though the older man wouldn't admit it, he gave a soft smile from within his armor, easily imagining Ven, who's like a little brother to him, doing the same.

Soon, he noticed a large tower in the distance. "Roxas… A man called Master Yen Sid lives in the tower up ahead- he's the one who gave Master Eraqus his information… Maybe he'll help us with the mirror's hint!"

"Sounds like he's a wise old wizard." Roxas said as they walked towards the tower, and suddenly, a humanoid mouse came running outside, holding up a Star Seeker Keyblade and a… star-shaped thing in his hand, and it glowed before the mouse disappeared and a crazy shooting star moved around in the sky in a very whacky demeanour.

"... Wha- who was that?" Roxas blinked, having never seen that mouse before… except maybe… _Was that… King Mickey? What's he doing here?_

Terra blinked as well before shrugging. "I'm not sure… It might be his apprentice, though- I heard Master Yen Sid had taken one." With that, the two walked inside, and Roxas stared up at the top floor, waaaaay above their heads. "This might take a while… Do you need a piggyback ride?" Terra joked.

"... I think I can walk all the way up…" Roxas said, blushing a bit from being treated like such a kid, at least Axel treated him more like an equal after he stopped acting like a zombie. Then again he never gave Terra any reason to think he was anything else otherwise.

Soon, more Unversed began appearing, Terra decided to run away to take care of them to make sure Roxas was 'safe' from them. The Nobody was getting tired of not being allowed to fight. When the area was cleared of Unversed, Roxas asked, frowning a bit, "Why don't you loan me a weapon or something I could use to defend myself with?"

Terra frowned, shrugging. "I'm sorry, Roxas… I don't have anything- but maybe you can get something from Master Yen Sid. Or if you see Aqua, she can give you the Initiation Ceremony for a Keyblade."

"Oh come on, I don't need a Keyblade, I could get by with something like a sword or a club!" Roxas said, hoping he would reconsider. "I don't need an initiation ceremony for anything!"

Terra shrugged. "Well, as I said, maybe Master Yen Sid has something…" He frowned a bit. "Other than that, though, I'm not sure of anything else other than the Keyblade."

Roxas sighed, crossing his arms and looking forlorn. "Well… I don't know… you and your Master seems to make a big deal about these Keyblades and how it has to be certain people to wield them. I don't think I'm anything special, not special enough to wield a Keyblade myself."

Terra blinked before chuckling softly. "You know… Ven said the exact same thing once." Roxas's eyes widened at that. "He didn't know if he'd be able to get his Keyblade… He was worried- so I gave him something to make him feel better…"

"What'd you give him?" Roxas asked curiously.

"A special little wooden Keyblade. It's not a real Keyblade but it gave him the confidence he needed to finally wield one." Terra said, smiling softly at the memory.

"... Wow, that sounds pretty cool. But yeah… I don't think I should wield one, I'm still just an outsider to you guys." Roxas said with a shrug as they reached the door.

Terra frowned a bit, but he said nothing more, knocking on the door. When they were given the signal to open it, he walked in and instantly stood at attention. "Master Yen Sid." he murmured to himself, seeing the man staring out the window. "...My name is Terra, sir."

Roxas blinked before standing attention himself, saying nervously, "A-and I'm Roxas, sir."

Yen Sid nodded, turning to the two and sitting down in his chair. "Ah yes, I've heard about you,Terra, from Master Eraqus. You, though… Roxas… shouldn't you be back to your homeworld?"

Roxas frowned, looking down nervously. "It's just… I… don't really have much of a home to go back to…"

The elderly man nodded softly, giving a faint frown. "I see. Now, Terra… I believe I know why you came to see me- it's the Unversed, isn't it?"

"Yes Master… They've been spreading to the other worlds lately… and I'm supposed to find Master Xehanort too. I only had a hint as to where he is, but I still don't know. I was hoping maybe you could help me find him." Terra explained, giving a soft frown. "And… there's also a masked boy, apparently controlling the Unversed- I need to find him too."

"Um… you have any weapons I could use to defend myself with?" Roxas asked cautiously. _I really need SOMETHING, this is getting so irritating…!_

Yen Sid frowned in thought, stroking his beard. "I see… I believe that I hold something in the back for your defense wishes, Roxas. Now, Terra… You may have to look at the issue from another standpoint- consider your fight with the boy and the disappearance of Master Xehanort to be one and the same problem."

While Yen Sid was talking to Terra, Roxas went to the back. "Hmm…" He looked around, not really seeing much of anything other than mirrors and some Keyblades that were most likely not being used… "What's in here? Are there any shields or spears or possibly chakrams I could use?" he asked, mostly to himself.

Still a bit confused, he turned and nearly ran into another mirror. "Whoa!" He jumped back, before noticing something… His reflection was holding a weapon! "What the!?" He looked at the weapon in confusion… Then his eyes widened- it was him in the Organization XIII coat and using both Oblivion and Oathkeeper! Roxas frowned, "... Is this… some kind of truth mirror?"

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Thanks Master Yen Sid. Roxas, we have to g-" Terra walked in and Roxas jumped and quickly covered the mirror. "... Did you break a mirror?"

"... M-maybe… U-uh… did you say we have to go? Then let's go!" Roxas said a bit too quickly, trying to push Terra out, but the guy's a freaking body builder.

Terra frowned in disappointment, shaking his head. "Roxas… Why'd you have to break a mirror? Master Yen Sid is going to be furious- and what about a weapon? Did you find one yet?"

"N-nothing I can use, all I see are unused Keyblades here. Now let's go, I'm sure I'll be fi- whoa! Ugh…" Roxas was still trying to push him, but Terra moved and made Roxas lose his balance and fall on his face.

Terra sighed, moving up to the mirror. "Roxas, you have to apologize and not…" He trailed off, taking the cover off the mirror. "...You said you broke this? It's perfectly intact- what's the issue?"

"O-oh, well… I guess it's a magic mirror and can fix itself… O-okay, it's not broken, so let's go!" Roxas wanted to chew himself out for acting like this, he knew that Terra can see he's clearly trying to hide something. _Why am I screwing up so badly lately!? I'll be lucky the universe doesn't _explode_ after all this!_

Terra frowned in thought, beginning to look the mirror over. "...Did you see something in the mirror, Roxas? Maybe a weapon you didn't like? You're acting like Ven when he stole all the cookies from the cookie jar…"

Roxas began snorting at the mental picture, Ven? Stealing cookies from a cookie jar at THAT age? Wow… just wow. But his humor was short lived as Terra looked into the mirror himself. "So… this must be… the Mirror of Truth." Terra said, crossing his arms.

"What about it?" Roxas frowned, slowly backing further away from the mirror. "W-what's the big deal, Terra?"

The brown-haired man turned to Roxas, frowning in thought before sighing. "...You saw yourself holding a weapon you didn't want, didn't you?" he asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

Roxas crossed his arms, glancing away nervously. "... Not really…" _Because I've always held those weapons…_ "Look, let's just go, I'll find a weapon in another world. Didn't you say we had to go? I'm sure Xehanort's waiting for you."

Terra frowned a bit more, but he sighed. "Oh, alright…" With that, he walked out the door, Roxas following him- but not before giving another glance at the mirror, which still showed him wearing the coat and holding two Keyblades.

_I wonder if Yen Sid knew about me…_ Roxas briefly wondered to himself before following Terra out, who summoned the Keyblade Glider along with his armor. Roxas held onto Terra, allowing the armor to gather on him, and took off into the world.

"So where are we going?" Roxas asked, frowning curiously. "...Did Master Yen Sid give you a destination?" Terra frowned, shaking his head, before his head perked up.

"...I think I know where to go." Terra suddenly said as he rode the glider into… a wasteland?

"... Why would Xehanort come to a wasteland?" Roxas asked, frowning in confusion as they landed. Then, to his surprise, he noticed the bald-headed man himself. _Oooooh boy… _"...Well, it looks like you were right, at least…" _I… am… so… SCREWED… Okay, okay, act natural… M-maybe Vanitas didn't tell him yet…_

Terra frowned, crossing his arms. "Xehanort… I've been to other worlds- I _know_ what you've done!" His glare slowly disappeared, though, to be followed by confusion. "I just… don't understand _why_…"

Roxas mostly stayed behind Terra as Xehanort turned to them. Those creepy yellow eyes seemed to bore into him, despite being behind Terra, making Roxas's skin crawl. _I really, really HATE that look._

Xehanort sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Someone had to safeguard the light… from the demon _I_ unleashed…" Roxas blinked at that, before cringing again as Xehanort glanced at them. "But… why in the worlds would you bring Ventus along? He belongs at home, Terra…"

_Wait? He thinks I'm Ven? … I thought he'd at least be able to tell us apart by our clothing! I don't have the armor on!_ Roxas thought irritatedly to himself, facepalming.

Terra looked back at Roxas before shaking his head, frowning. "This is Roxas, Master… Not Ven, but you're right in saying he doesn't belong here… I should take him back to the Land of Departure before going anywhere else."

Xehanort nodded, before turning away. "...You must know about the boy by now- the one in the mask." Roxas frowned in confusion. "His name is Vanitas- a creature of pure darkness… And sadly… one of _my_ making…!"

Roxas creased his eyebrows in confusion. _What? He makes it sound like he regretted making Vanitas… but Vanitas seems pretty loyal to him- as far as I could tell, at least… So what in the world is going on?_

"Vanitas? … Are you telling me he came from you?" Terra asked in confusion while Roxas remained silent.

Xehanort shook his head and said, a saddened tone in his voice, "... He… came from Ventus."

Roxas and Terra were both in shock at this, and they both shouted together, "VENTUS!?"

The old bald man nodded, beginning to explain. "Yes… Vanitas was the darkness that was inside your friend. It was an accident… while training with me, Ventus succumbed to darkness, and there was only one way to save him… strip that part of him away… and thus, Vanitas was made. And in the process, I damaged Ventus's heart… in the most horrific way. So… I did what I felt was right and left him with Eraqus. I knew he could not stay with me… the man who gave him such a grievous harm…"

Roxas frowned, crossing his arms- he saw Xehanort looking regretful about this, and yet… He couldn't help but be reminded of when Xemnas was telling the Organization to use HIM and his Keyblade to slay the Heartless to create Kingdom Hearts… Despite being a Nobody and having no real emotions, Xemnas seemed utterly passionate about it. Xehanort here… it's… almost like an act, but Roxas knew if he had said this out loud, Terra wouldn't believe him and Xehanort would not only deny it but then claimed him as a suspicious spy or something.

"But Master, Ventus's gotten a lot better over the years… you shouldn't blame yourself for trying to save him." Terra said, hoping to comfort the old master.

_That is IF you were trying to save him._ Roxas mentally added. But he knew he couldn't say it aloud, so he nodded. "Yeah- you were in the right, despite what happened!"

Xehanort sighed, looking back at them for a moment. "Thank you, lads… You know how to put an old man's heart at ease." Terra sighed in relief, though, seeming to be glad about something.

Roxas looked over at Terra, frowning in confusion. "What's up?"

Terra just shook his head, smiling slightly. "It's just… I remember a time when Master Xehanort first brought Ven to us… he was almost like a total zombie. And now… now it all makes sense."

"... A zombie?" Roxas blinked, surprised. _Ven was… a zombie before? … It's getting creepy how much alike we really are._ "Why was he a zombie before? Did something happen to him?"

Terra nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah… Apparently Ven couldn't remember a thing and how to speak a tiny bit- so when we started asking him a few questions… his head hurt."

"... He lost his memories? … That's… pretty bad…" Roxas didn't want to admit how similar they were… He didn't remember anything about his own past either, it was scary how much they mirror each other, not just in looks but in their lives too.

Terra nodded, before his face grew serious and he turned to the man before them both. "Master Xehanort… Why is Vanitas still free? Shouldn't you have destroyed him, or locked him away?"

Xehanort sighed, shaking his head. "I did my best to contain him the moment he came out… but unfortunately, I have the same body as I did then, and…" He trailed off.

"He managed to escape?" Terra frowned as Xehanort nodded.

Roxas crossed his arms, not sure if Xehanort was telling the truth. The darkness in Xehanort was almost unbearably high, almost up to Vanitas level. "So… you want Terra to go find and destroy him for you?" he spoke up, guessing where the old man was going with this.

Xehanort nodded, walking closer to them. "Vanitas uses the Keyblade to sow seeds of darkness. And now you see that the worlds teem with his ghastly underlings… He has _no_ control over the darkness in his heart. The Keyblade is _not_ his to bear! He's… an abomination, beyond all hope of salvation. Help me right this wrong that I have wrought, Terra- lend me your strength!"

Roxas frowned… that wasn't… how Vanitas was when _he_ met him. Granted it was for a short time but… _Vanitas seemed pretty loyal, other than when he mentioned Ventus and some old coot… I don't get it… why is he acting like Vanitas is some out of control monster? From what I can see, he's not out of control or anything as he said… in fact… he seemed to be suffering a lot…he seemed… almost desperate for something, kind of like how I was when… when… something… happened to… someone… I can't remember._

Terra on the other hand didn't see any reason to doubt him. "But… I have no idea where to find him…"

Xehanort began to explain, but Roxas noticed Terra gasped for a moment, as if shocked about something. "What I can tell you about Vanitas is that he's looking for the light he has lost… and destroy it." He nodded in thought. "It stands to reason that he will next strike in the city of light, Radiant Garden."

Roxas blinked, looking at Terra in surprise. _I wonder what made Terra shocked…_ "What? What is it?" he whispered. "Did you figure something out?"

Terra frowned a bit, whispering to Roxas, "I'll… tell you later." Then he looked back at Xehanort. "Don't worry, Master. I'll take care of Vanitas. C'mon, Roxas…" And with that, he turned and began walking away.

"Oh, and Terra… You might want to leave that boy Roxas to me, I can take him back to his homeworld where he belongs." Xehanort said suddenly, making Roxas very uneasy.

"W-what? N-no, I want to stick with Terra!" Roxas quickly said, sounding like a rebellious teenager. "C'mon Terra, take me with you- or at least bring me home!"

Terra frowned in thought before nodding to himself. "Master Xehanort… I'm going to bring Roxas back to the Land of Departure- at least for now. I appreciate what you're doing… but this is a wasteland- Master Eraqus at least has rooms for Roxas to sleep in."

Xehanort seemed to be disappointed, before he gave a shrug. "Very well then Terra, see to it that the boy is safe. Vanitas may mistake him for Ventus and we can't have that, Vanitas is a strong one."

"Right, don't worry, I'll make sure Roxas is safe." Terra promised with a firm nod as he activated his armor and Keyblade Glider.

While traveling through in the Realms In-between Worlds, Terra said, "Roxas, I'm going to take you back to the Land of Departure first, okay? I think you'll be safer there for the time being."

"... Yeah… I guess…" Roxas sighed. _I suppose this way I can just travel on my own now._

"Funny… I thought you'd try to talk me out of it." Terra chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "At least you listen, unlike Ven does at times…"

Roxas then remembered that Terra gasped earlier, and he spoke up. "So… what did you find out earlier that made you gasp?"

"..." Terra sighed, shaking his head. "It was… a weird hallucination- nothing to worry about. It went too fast for me to really register it, alright Roxas? You don't need to worry about it, or me- I'm fine, let's just get you back to the Land of Departure."

"Ri- LOOK OUT!" Roxas suddenly shouted, as all these Unversed suddenly came out of nowhere, surrounding them!

Terra gasped, quickly stopping the Keyblade Glider- Roxas had asked for the name. "What the- Unversed!? Ugh… I'd better dodge them- what if I go belo- URK!" The Unversed suddenly tackled the Keyblade Glider, causing Roxas to lose his grip on Terra's shoulder, and he began falling!

The armor came off in a shine of light, and Roxas, out of instinct and panic, summoned the Corridors of Darkness around him to get him to a world before he suffocated. Unknown to him, Terra, not seeing that the Nobody was now safe, screamed out for Roxas, worried the kid was lost in the Realms.

* * *

Roxas fell for what felt like ages and ages… and he was yelling the whole way. It felt light at first, but as he entered in whatever world he was in, the gravity got a whole lot heavier and made him fall faster! "Whoooooooooaaaaaaaaaaa!" And he shouted as he felt like he just landed on something hard! "Gah!"

"R-ROXAS!?" shouted a very confused look alike after Roxas landed, HARD. "W-what the… where did you…?" He blinked in shock for a moment or two before noticing something and chuckling. "Heh… Thanks, though- I think you just helped me out!"

"Ugh… that's… gonna hurt… in the morning…" Roxas groaned from the floor, too disoriented to realize who else was here. He slowly sat up before noticing he had landed on top of a certain green-skinned witch! "GAH!" He quickly flipped over to the side, getting off of her. "M-Maleficent!?"

Maleficent, glaring in anger, teleported herself near the balcony of where they were, weakly walking up as someone held out their hand in front of Roxas. "Huh?" Blinking in surprise, he looked up to see… "V-Ven!?"

The blond smiled at him as he helped his look alike up to his feet before glaring up at Maleficent. "Terra would NEVER steal another person's heart, you lying witch!" He clenched his fist.

"Wait, what's this about Terra stealing someone's heart?" Roxas frowned in confusion, he was just with Terra and he knew the guy would never do something like that… not willingly anyway.

"This witch here claims that Terra stole this Princess's heart!" Ven said in irritation as he kept glaring at Maleficent. "... And where _were_ you? You had me worried that the Unversed- wait, how did you GET here anyway?" He paused, blinking in confusion

"There's a time and place for everything, Ven, but not here." Roxas frowned before looking at Maleficent.

Maleficent just gave a smirk, despite her weakened stature, turning to the two of them as she said confidently, "Oh, but he so easily agreed without any complaints."

Ven gritted his teeth, looking down as he murmured to himself, "He… he did…? But… but why would he…?"

Before Roxas could speak up, they heard another voice. "No! Don't listen to her! Terra would _never_ do that!" Both boys turned around to see it was Aqua. She ran up to both of them, giving a small smile. "You know that as well as I do, Ven…"

Ven gave a small smile, nodding, before Maleficent interrupted their happy moment. "Oh, how cruel the truth can be, even among the closest of friends! Because as you know… No one never truly knows the secrets of one's heart! I'm sure you'll all agree… Ventus… Aqua…_ Roxas_…"

Roxas gasped and frowned… how did SHE know his name? Did Terra tell her? But… she spoke his name a bit more strongly than the other two… Why? "... Are you mad that I landed on you from the sky?" he couldn't help but ask.

She merely laughed. "Perhaps… But you know, it isn't the _first_ time you've done that, now has it?" Roxas narrowed his eyes, growing even more suspicious of the witch.

"Not the first time? What do you mean by that? This is the first time we've actually met!" Roxas demanded- of course, he's never actually met her, just seen her in his dreams of apparently Sora's memories.

Maleficent merely laughed again. "Oh, now I didn't mean myself, you lookalike! You see… I know more than you think…"

This made Roxas uneasy now… just _what_ did she know? He looked over at Ven and Aqua, who were looking at him in confusion, though Aqua seemed to have some kind of… glint in her eyes, but Roxas couldn't distinguish what that meant. "What is it?"

Aqua frowned a bit, but she quickly shook her head. "N-nothing, nothing…" She sighed, turning to Ventus. "Ven, the Master sent me- let's go home, you've been scaring both of us a lot." She glanced at Roxas. "You too, Roxas- we need to find your home, I'm sure your family misses you a lot."

"..." Roxas frowned. "I live alone, Aqua, I'm sure I told you that before. Nobody will miss me." He noticed the glint in her eye grow just a tiny bit stronger, but before he could determine what it was, she turned back to Ven. "C'mon… Let's go, Ven."

Ven shook his head, frowning worriedly. "No, I can't go back Aqua… Please, I need to find Terra!"

Roxas looked over at his look alike, frowning a bit. "Ven, I know you're worried, but why are you trying so hard to find Terra?"

Ven gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "I-it's just.. I _have_ to find him, before it's too late! I'm sorry, you guys, but… I-I gotta go!" With that, he turned and ran off before anyone could stop him.

"W-wait Ven!" Roxas called but the boy was already gone. "... I thought he was worried about me when I went missing… but I guess he wasn't…" _Story of my life. Well… who'd ever be worried about a Nobody?_ "Well… I guess you're going to take me back to the Land of Departure now, right?" he asked Aqua.

Aqua frowned a bit, but before she could respond, Maleficent spoke up. "I see you, too, wield a Keyblade." Aqua froze up. "A source of power… a Key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds… and allows one to obtain both anything and everything… Such a power I find most fascinating." She smirked.

Roxas looked up at Maleficent before turning to Aqua. "Um… I'll let you handle her while I go hide, alright?" _And get my coat on while I'm at it, I could be an anonymous helper or something, but hopefully she won't attack ME while I'm helping her._

Aqua frowned suspiciously, but she nodded. "Right… Go ahead, Roxas- but be careful!"

"Thanks!" Roxas hurried away while Aqua faced the witch. The boy was looking around to find any hiding spot, but he was confronted by three fairies! "Whoa! What the?" One was red, the other was green and the last was blue.

"Why, you look just like Ven!" the first said in surprise. "How on Earth…?"

"Okay, I know I look like Ven, but I'm not. Now just go and help Aqua while I-" Roxas began to say but the blue one interrupted him.

"Hold on… Your heart is similar to Ven's." she said, studying him as she flew around the Nobody.

This stumped and surprised Roxas, and he blinked. "... There must be a mistake, I don't really have… L-look, you just go and help Aqua, okay?"

The green one now flew around. "Yes, now that you mention it, I see it too! How is it possible?" she murmured to herself. "I would have thought it unlikely!"

Roxas sighed again, facepalming. "Okay, my heart is the same as Ven, now GO, help Aqua!" _Geez, crazy fairies!_

The red fairy frowned in thought. "Hold on… You said your name was Roxas before- is that right?"

"What about it?" Roxas frowned in confusion, wondering why they seem to have such interest in a Nobody like him.

The blue fairy crossed her arms, thinking. "Hmm… The name is nothing like Ventus… but is it possible, girls?" She glanced at the two of them. "Could this boy be…?"

Roxas sighed, but was now curious as to what they think of him. Whatever they thought, it couldn't possibly be right since he came from the future and had no connection to Ven, but he is intrigued as to what they thought. "What is it? Is there something about me that you find shocking?"

The green fairy smiled, nodding. "Oh, yes, of course! Should we tell him, girls? It's in his right to know!"

"I don't know, he may not like what he hears, or may not agree to it." the blue one said with a concerned frown.

"Let's just tell him anyway, it's up to him how he'll take it." the red one said with a nod.

Roxas crossed his arms, tapping his foot, waiting for their answer. _I wish they would hurry up, Aqua could use their help against that witch! And I really need to help her too!_

The three took a deep breath before speaking together as one. "Are you Ventus's Nobody?"

It was right then and there that Roxas would've done a spit take if he had been drinking something, so instead he fell on his face with his foot twitching in the air. "WHAT!?" _I thought Nobodies didn't exist yet!_

The three fairies blinked, before the blue one spoke up. "...You don't know what a Nobody is, young Roxas?"

Roxas was just mumbling on the floor, the three blinked before the young boy looked up. "What makes you think I'm Ven's Nobody? If you know what they are then you know they have no hearts, right?"

The fairies slowly nodded, before the red one spoke up. "Well, that is… That's NORMALLY the case- but occasionally a Nobody may gain a heart that's exactly like their Somebody's!"

"Wait… what?" Roxas blinked… and blinked again. _Xemnas never told us that, he said our hearts are gone for good unless we make Kingdom Hearts!_ "W-well whatever, the point is, I'm not Ven's Nobody, okay?"

The green fairy frowned in confusion. "But you look like him, you have the same heart as him… How could you not be, with a heart of pure light like this?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I don't belong in light or darkness. Now look, will you forget about me? Just go help Aqua, she needs it!" Roxas quickly said, getting impatient.

The three fairies sighed, but they reluctantly turned and flew back to Aqua. Roxas frowned, just plain confused by what those fairies were talking about… _They must've been delusional, I don't have a heart let alone one of pure light, that's ridiculous… Whatever, I don't have time to think about it right now. I have to get to… _He paused, slowing down. _…Where do I have to go?_

When Roxas turned around to see how Aqua's doing, it seems they were done talking… and Aqua suddenly fell down a hole! Roxas gasped, "AQUA!" He ran back before glaring at Maleficent. "What did you do with her!?"

Maleficent laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "Oh, it's simple, Roxas- I'm giving her time to reconsider her choice about not working with me… It's not as if she hasn't got any other choice- but I'm giving her time to think it through!"

"Why would she work with you anyway? You tried to hurt our friend, Ven!" Roxas snapped, clenching his fist in irritation.

"Ah, but is he really _your _friend? After all, he just left you without a second thought after you just returned to him, did he not?" Maleficent smirked, clearly confident in her speaking skills.

The young Nobody frowned, but he refused to give her any satisfaction. "He was just worried for Terra is all, no big deal! And he knew Aqua would help get me back home, so there was no reason to worry about me anymore!"

"Oh?" She chuckled. "So you believe you're worthless? Or rather, no… You believe _Ventus_ finds you worthless- to not even worry about you. Poor, poor Roxas…"

Roxas gritted his teeth, he knew Maleficent is a pro at manipulating one's will and playing mind games, but it's hard to ignore what had happened between him and Ven just moments ago. "So what? I'm already considered a Nobody, what's it matter if he thinks the same way?"

Maleficent paused, her eyes widening at that fact. "You're… a _what_!?" she gasped, her eyes still wide.

Roxas frowned at her surprised look. _Wait… she didn't know I was a Nobody?_ "You know, a loser?" He hastily tried to correct himself, but internally he winced.

Maleficent frowned, looking down at Roxas thoughtfully before she suddenly waved her staff and darkness began to pool at his feet. "I believe I'll keep you as well, although just for now… We still have _much_ more to talk about…"

"Wait, whaaaaa!" Roxas yelled as he fell into the hole, the same one Aqua fell into. The last thing he heard was Maleficent's evil laugh filling the castle walls.

* * *

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Heh, did you like it? Yes, Roxas is also now traveling with Aqua- as we said before, Roxas will be going with all three, one at a time.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Right- after all, while it'd be good character development for one of them if Roxas only went with one at a time, this is ROXAS'S story, not theirs- so he's going to go his own unique route through all of theirs, just like Mickey does!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Hence the name 'Roxas's Story'. Now try to imagine that this was an actual game, or part of Birth By Sleep. Of course you'd be controlling Roxas and only him throughout the adventure for this, so everything that will happen will only happen with Roxas- not Ven, not Terra, not Aqua, but Roxas.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Hmm… let's see, let's see… Is there anything else…? *flips through the notes, before turning pale* …Uh… Fox? We've… ran through our whole list- there's nothing else to talk about!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Well, there IS one more thing… Some people have been asking me if Roxas will get different Keyblade/keychains from other worlds in this story. The answer is frankly, no- no he will not. The reason is because Roxas himself doesn't need those, and it's too keep it from getting too complicated- besides, Key and I wouldn't remember he changed it and may embarrass ourselves by calling like the Bond of Flames the Kingdom Key instead. So all in all, there was no real reason to give Roxas different keychains in the story, it'd just confuse everything up.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ ...You could've MENTIONED you had one on standby… *grumbles, pouting in a corner* You had me worrying for nothing! Nothing!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Heh… there's ONE more I need to address… It's small though, don't worry. Ahem… Some have also asked me if we would have Roxas use both of his Keyblades a lot during this, hence the worrying of making Roxas too OP. Well… I'm not gonna answer that one, as it kinda ruins or spoils the future chapters if I did.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Yeah- just keep watching, and you'll see as we go along~ *winks knowingly, grinning* Now then, I don't think there's anything else… So don't forget to read and review, and as always, we will see you next Friday! Bye-bye~!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Yes, please review, and as always, you may ask any questions you have involving the current chapters or if there's something you're worried about. See ya'll next time!**


	6. Chapter 5: Mistaken Identity

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Hey readers! Yes, I realize we broke the Friday tradition, but since I upload my Danny Phantom fanfiction, My Brother's a Ghost, on Fridays, I think it's only fair if we change this one to Mondays instead.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Yeah, makes sense to me- not to mention we'd be more ready to upload it then rather than on a school night the previous day.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Plus it'll give you something to look forward to on Mondays since it's apparently the most hated day of the week. Now for this chapter, things are gonna get really complicated for Roxas.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Oh, don't I know it- I honestly feel bad for the guy! You'll have to see what happens, but after this, I think you'd ENJOY going about your mundane lives compared to this mess…**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ And this is why you should never mess with Time Travel. Now for the disclaimer; we do not own Kingdom Hearts, we only just do the story for fun.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Mistaken Identity**

_Did… I just fall? … Where am I? What's going to happen to me now? … Wait… this place is familiar… Is… is someone else here?_

"_..." I could hear someone's voice, but I can't seem to make out what they're saying. Please… try to speak up… who are you? Did you bring me here? I must know…_

"_... Find… Aq...ua… V...en...tus… and… T...er...ra…"_

_What? They want me to find Aqua, Ven and Terra? But I was just with them! Wait, please, tell me who you are! … No… it's fading…_

* * *

Roxas groaned as he slowly came to… Smelling a dank smell and seeing nothing but darkness and hearing water dripping from somewhere all around him, the Nobody slowly sat up, grunting slightly in pain. _Ow… that's gonna smart…_ he thought to himself, rubbing his poor back. _…Maleficent sent me somewhere- but where _is _that place? It… looks like a dungeon. Where's Aqua? … I guess I'm in a separate dungeon from her. Smart move, at least- don't keep the Keyblade Wielders together… Even if she doesn't know of _my_ Keyblades._

The future boy stood up, looking around. _But how am I going to get out of here?_ Then he heard someone approaching. He walked over near the corner and… that person in the black coat showed up on the other side, shocking Roxas. "Y-you?"

The mysterious figure held out a hand at Roxas, almost as if asking him to come and touch it, but then it pulled the hand down and summoned… a Keyblade? Roxas jumped back… The Keyblade looked familiar- the way they held it in particular- but he couldn't quite place where he saw it. "Who are you!?" The figure didn't answer him, instead it pointed at a specific spot for some reason and shot out a bright light, hitting an invisible forcefield and shattering it.

Roxas frowned in confusion, turning back to where the mysterious person in the coat was. "Uh… tha-" He cut himself off, seeing nobody was there now. "..." _Seriously, is this just the day to confuse Roxas or what!?_

Sighing in resignation, the Nobody looked up to see why the figure did that… but it turns out it was the lock, because the door suddenly opened for him. "Wow… That's… a great way to hide a lock." Roxas said to himself before taking out his own black coat. "But… I'm not going out there as Roxas…" He put on his black coat and covered his face before summoning his Keyblade. "Let's roll." _Ugh… I think Axel's rubbing off on me._

As he walked out, Unversed appeared around him- these ones much larger than the ones he had seen in the past. "Ugh, pests… Get out of my way!" Roxas hated the bigger Unversed as they took more hits to take down. He used Thunder to help take care of them. He kept going until he came across some of Maleficent guards. _… Are… those pigs? _As the guards got closer, Roxas's jaw dropped. _They ARE- what in the worlds would make a witch choose PIGS as her guards!?_

He frowned before shaking his head, getting into a battle-ready stance. "So you're coming after me? Fine then- bring it on!" It turned out that these PIGS were pretty tough. They had different weapons like clubs, spears and axes, and each one felt like a TRUCK hitting him! "OW! … Ugh… Well now I know WHY she picked them. They're such hard hitters…" Roxas grumbled to himself as he took them out and hurried to the next room, which held gates and more pig guards were there, and many of them were holding boulders and arrows!

"... You know, I'm so glad Xaldin's not among them." Roxas said to himself as he cast Reflect on himself to keep from getting crushed by the boulders and pierced by the arrows. _I swear, I need to learn some long-range attack! Maybe I can make my own Shotlock or something- it'd probably make it a heck of a lot easier to take out these goons!_

Roxas ran in a zigzag, trying to figure out a way to get up the wall before seeing the right one had a big crack in it… And it looks almost like a stair… The Nobody smirked as he jumped onto it and blocked more arrows coming his way. _Don't these guys ever run out of weapons!? _he mentally complained, rushing into the next room.

In the next room, he found even MORE pigs, and he groaned, physically sagging. "How many of you guys did she hire!?" he complained to himself, before he knocked away even more arrows that appeared. "This is so tiresome…"

"Do you need some help, dear?" Roxas jumped when he heard three familiar fairies behind him. They used their magic to shield him from another boulder.

"U-uh… thanks." Roxas said, deepening his voice, hoping they wouldn't know it was him.

The green fairy smiled at him, nodding. "It's no problem at all, dearie! But… what's a young child like you doing here?"

"A young chi- I know I'm a bit short, but that doesn't make me a child, okay?" Roxas grumbled from under the hood.

The red fairy chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Perhaps not, Ven, but we know you all too well- now when did you return, and where did you get that coat?"

"..." Roxas was about to ask them how could they know he's Ven, or rather THINK he's Ven since his face was hidden, but then he recalled that they sensed his non-existing heart and it was just like Ventus's, which made no sense whatsoever. "Who said I was Ven?" was all he replied.

The blue fairy blinked in confusion before her eyes widened in shock. "...R-Roxas? You can use a Ke-" Roxas quickly covered her mouth with one hand. "Mmph!?"

"I'm neither of those two boys you speak of, I'm just a loner who got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time, okay?" Roxas hissed at them.

The three fairies frowned in confusion, before the green one spoke up. "...But you have a pure heart just like theirs- how did you get that?"

Roxas made a mental point to whack these fairies later because they're getting on his last nerves. "I don't have a heart, you might be sensing what I wished I have but don't."

The red fairy frowned in confusion at that. "...I see… so you're a Nobody, young man?"

"Yes, I'm a Nobody. But funny… I thought I was the only Nobody in existence here." Roxas said quietly as he destroyed the last pig guard.

The blue fairy frowned, slowly shaking her head. "Why no, of course not- Nobodies are rare, but they do exist… They're not very powerful, though- and they can't wield something of legend like you can!"

"Perhaps it's because I'm the Nobody of a Keyblade Wielder. Who knows, it's been too long." Roxas said with a sigh as he began walking.

The green fairy frowned in confusion herself, but she shrugged. "Well… Come on, let's go see if we can find our friends, girls- they'll probably meet up with us outside the castle!"

And with that, the three fairies turned into small glowing orbs and flew ahead of Roxas. Roxas, although glad they stopped pestering him, felt lonely that they left him alone. _It seems that I'm destined to be alone after all…_

* * *

Soon, the black cloaked Nobody made it outside of the castle. The bright light almost blinded him, but he was relieved to be out of there. "Who are you?" someone suddenly spoke up from behind him.

Roxas turned to see it was Aqua and… some man with brown hair and a big shield and sword was beside her, both of them looking warily at him. "... I'm… Nobody important." was all he said, turning away. "Just a lonely traveler…"

Aqua frowned, grabbing his shoulder. "That's still not answering my question- who are you, and why do you have the Keyblade?" Roxas tensed up there. "...What's wrong?"

"... If you want an honest answer… I don't know why I have the Keyblade. In all rights, I _shouldn't_ be able to wield one at all. Perhaps it just chose me because of… who I once was." Roxas said a bit bitterly.

Aqua blinked at that, confused. "...Who you once were? What do you mean by-" Before she could finish her question, Roxas slipped out of her grip and began running away. "H-hey! Wait!"

Roxas heard her footsteps, he knew she and that other guy beside her were following him. _I've got to lose her before she sees my face! Heh… I could always lie and say I'm Ventus if I get desperate enough._ The young Nobody then jumped and began gliding through the air, surprising Aqua and the man beside her.

"Is he… FLYING!?" the Prince beside her said in shock.

"W-what in the world!?" Aqua stopped running, her jaw wide open in shock. "I.. how is he…?" She frowned, suddenly realizing she couldn't catch up in time. "...Looks like we've lost him, Prince Philip…"

"Yeah… that guy's fast. But what did he mean by 'who he once was'?" Prince Phillip asked. Aqua only shook her head.

"I don't know…" Aqua sighed, crossing her arms and beginning to think.

Roxas landed in some shrubs, relieved he lost her. "Whew… that was close…" But just as he came out to keep going, he was surrounded by Unversed! "... Is the entire universe against me or something!?" He growled in annoyance, resummoning his Keyblade. "Seriously, you little buggers- GO AWAY!"

He began smashing away at the Unversed, but they began to push him back towards a nearby castle. "W-what the!?" He gritted his teeth. "I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!" He began using Thunderaga and Blizzaraga, trying to destroy as many Unversed as possible.

"It's YOU!" Roxas cringed, hearing Aqua's voice, looks like they caught up to him. "Why are you fighting Unversed? Are… are you on our side?" she asked, frowning in a bit of confusion.

"I'm not on anyone's side, I'm only defending myself!" Roxas snapped, getting irritated at all the assumptions. "Obviously the Unversed will attack anything that moves!"

Aqua frowned at that, slowly nodding. "I suppose… How about a small team-up, to destroy these things? Then when they're gone, we can do as we please?"

"Fine, whatever." Roxas groaned. "Just don't pull my hood."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Aqua said with a glint in her eyes, making Roxas uneasy. He didn't have time to think of it, though, as they were all pushed into the nearby castle, where, to everyone's shock, thorns surrounded the castle! "W-what in the worlds!?"

"What is all this?" Philip demanded, looking around uneasily.

Roxas looked up, before he got into a battle-ready stance, saying only one word. "... Maleficent."

The said witch was floating above them, cackling as she landed in front of them. Aqua gritted her teeth, stepping forward. "What did Master Xehanort tell you, Maleficent!?"

"Oh, he told me quite a lot about you Keyblade Wielders. It's a shame that you don't have Terra's gift of obedience, for he agreed so easily with me." Maleficent said with an evil smirk.

"Terra would NEVER do that!" Aqua snapped. "He'd NEVER help someone like you- not in a million years!"

Maleficent chuckled in amusement, shaking her head. "Quite the contrary," she stated. "He fully embraced the _darkness _within himself."

"Or maybe he was being manipulated by the darkness." Roxas responded coolly. "Was there a reason for trapping Aqua and the other boy you called Roxas in your dungeon if you knew they wouldn't submit to the darkness?"

Maleficent scowled, making Aqua blink in surprise. "Why you little…! I may not know who _you_ are… but you will pay for that insult!" She cast another spell, crying out, "See for yourself all the powers of HELL!"

The three people jumped back as Maleficent suddenly got bigger and began changing… She had transformed herself into a huge black dragon! Roxas hissed in a bit of pain, the darkness had spiked and so did her power. _Ugh… Why does it hurt? My head feels like it's swimming… No… gotta stay focused…!_ Roxas's vision was blurring, but he tried to stay focused.

Aqua frowned, glancing at Roxas in a bit of concern when she noticed him swaying a little. "Hey… you okay?"

"I'm fine! Focus on the dragon!" Roxas quickly said as he jumped, avoiding Maleficent's green fire breath and slashing at her head, but he was swiped by her claws. "Ugh…" He groaned again, clutching at his slightly torn cloak.

Aqua frowned, growing even more concerned, but Maleficent stomped on the ground and she quickly jumped away, casting a spell. "Freeze!" she shouted, a giant chunk of ice appearing mid-air.

"Here!" Philip called. Aqua quickly got behind him and he threw her at Maleficent's head, allowing her to stab her! Dragon Maleficent roared as she used her fire breath again in anger.

Roxas jumped on her back and stabbed his Keyblade into her back, causing the dragon to rise up, roaring in pain. Roxas could've held on longer, but the dizziness was really making it tough for him and he soon fell on the ground. _Come on… What's WRONG with me!? I shouldn't be feeling this weak just because of her darkness spike… I feel that all the time! What the heck changed!?_

Aqua frowned in concern, but Maleficent began flying around, and she quickly aimed at the dragon. "C'mon, c'mon…!" She focused a second or two longer, and… "GOTCHA!" She began firing bubbles that hit Maleficent over and over again, draining her health as they exploded on impact.

Roxas weakly stood up, trying to get a good grip on his head before he saw the dragon coming at him. "Oh no… you don't…!" He aimed his Keyblade at her as if trying to take aim before he fired some light energy at her, doing a small Shotlock himself, though it wasn't continuous and he wasn't all that sure how to use it yet, not to mention his dizzy head isn't making it any easier.

Thankfully, though, the dragon screamed in pain, and she quickly backed away from Roxas. Prince Phillip helped keep Roxas steady as best he could. "You want to sit out?" he asked worriedly. "We should be able to handle this beast!"

"I-I can handle it… ugh!" Roxas grabbed his head as a memory flashed, seeing Maleficent in a different castle, the static constantly changing, Maleficent turning into a huge dragon and roaring like she did beforehand. By now, Roxas's head felt like it was going to implode, much like when he regained his lost memories. "AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" _Why does this _have_ to happen NOW!?_

Aqua, hearing Roxas screaming, was suddenly reminded of the time when Ventus yelled in pain and passed out when Master Xehanort brought him in. "V-Ven!?" She frowned worriedly, turning back to see Roxas fall to the ground. "W-wha…?" _But I just heard VEN scream… didn't I?_ She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Dragon Maleficent charging at her from behind!

Luckily, even though he was on the ground, Roxas managed to throw his Keyblade like a boomerang and hit Maleficent right in the eye! "A-Aqua! F-focus!" he cried out, still grunting in pain

"You're hurt, you should stay down." Philip said to the hooded boy in concern.

"I'll be fine… don't worry about me!" Roxas said to him, quickly waving the prince away. "Now go help her, quickly!"

Prince Philip frowned, still concerned, but he reluctantly rushed over to Aqua. "Here!" he cried out, helping Aqua get on top of Maleficent's back.

While those two were fighting, Roxas was trying to get a grip. _Okay, I get it, Sora fought with Maleficent even as a dragon, now stop invading my mind! _But despite his insistence, the pain just wouldn't stop. He groaned, seeing more and more memories flash by.

Roxas kept groaning as he felt someone picking him up. "H-huh?" He looked up weakly as the three fairies were here, helping him up as they saw Aqua was being blocked by a wall of fire and the prince was fighting Dragon Maleficent alone. "Y-you… three..?"

The blue fairy smiled, nodding. "We care about you, dear- no matter who you are, you still seem quite nice!"

The red fairy cleared her throat, holding out a wand. "All together now, girls! Sword of truth, fly swift and sure… That evil die and good endure!" They shot out blue, red and green light at Prince Philip's sword, lighting it up. The prince threw his enhanced sword at Dragon Maleficent's chest. It hit right where the heart would be on a human, and she roared as her body began shrinking and the thorns began disappearing around the castle.

"You… you did it…" Roxas said weakly, feeling on the verge of blacking out, but he was struggling to hold on to consciousness, not wanting to risk someone revealing his face.

Aqua nodded, before noticing Maleficent was walking past them. "... You know, Maleficent… It's the power of true love that _defeated_ you- but you probably don't even know the first thing _about _it. You're too… too _clouded_ by darkness to see that there's something greater." She smiled to herself, glancing back at the castle behind her. "Try all you want… But you'll never beat a heart full of light."

"Perhaps." Maleficent said as she turned to her. "But remember one thing; as long as there is light, there will _always_ be darkness." She smirked, beginning to cackle. "And in time, many more will be drawn to it. And then they will all belong to ME! Ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!" With that, she teleported away, leaving Aqua, Roxas, and the three fairies in her wake.

"I hope she doesn't come back anytime soon!" the blue one grumbled, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Dear, are you alright?" the green one asked Roxas, focusing on him first.

"I'm… fine… just a bit… tired is all." Roxas said weakly to them.

Aqua frowned, muttering to herself, "Terra… you'd better stay strong for me…!" Then she remembered hearing Ventus's screaming… or was that really Ven she heard? She turned to the mysterious boy in the black coat. "... Who are you anyway? Your screaming sounded like a friend of mine."

Roxas really didn't want to answer, and he hesitated before mumbling, "It doesn't really matter… Just put me down and… I'll be… on my way."

Aqua frowned, shaking her head. "Not a chance! You sounded just…." She paused. "...Just like… Ven…" She began walking closer to him. "It couldn't be… could it…?"

Roxas noticed Aqua coming closer to him, seeing her hand reaching out for his hood. "N-no, don't take off my hood!" he protested, shaking his head violently. Despite his weakness earlier, Roxas managed to struggle out of the fairy's grip on him. "I'm sorry, I gotta go!" He began running, but didn't get far before he tripped and fell. _Ugh… still too… disoriented… This is not good._

Aqua frowned, quickly running up to him. "H-hold on, I promised I wouldn't take your hood off!" _Even though I was tempted to…_ she thought to herself, before quickly adding, "You should sit down- you're still feeling weak!"

Roxas slowly got up, but the fairies got hold of him again, forcing him back down. "...Fine, if you insist…" he finally grumbled. "But you should go… I'm sure your friends need you."

Aqua frowned, shaking her head as the glint returned once more. "I'm not sure all of them are so far away…" she muttered to herself. "In fact… could _you_ take off your hood? If nothing's wrong with you, and we've never met… then what's the issue?"

"I can't… sorry." Roxas sighed. "... But… listen, Maleficent… trapped a boy named Roxas in a dungeon at her castle… Didn't you say something… about taking him home before?"

Aqua frowned, nodding. "Yes, I did… but I'm pretty sure if I went there, while you stayed here… he might not be there." By now the glint was practically visible, and Roxas gulped under his hood. "You're hiding something from me… and I think I've almost figured it out."

"I think you're making you're own assumptions. Are you trying to say I'm Roxas or that I've taken Roxas away?" the young Nobody demanded, trying to sound offended.

Aqua frowned, crossing her arms and jutting one hip out. "I don't know- _are_ you Roxas?" she suspiciously asked. "Because that scream sounded way too familiar to me…"

"Scream? Who did I sound like to you then?" Roxas asked her, trying to keep his cool.

Aqua squatted down in front of him, seemingly staring into his soul. "...Someone who probably looks just like you…" she whispered- whether it was to herself or to him, he couldn't tell.

"Hmph- think what you want, but I'm not who you think I am." Roxas said as he summoned the last of his strength to produce the Corridor of Darkness under him, shocking both Aqua and the three fairies, backing away from him. "You see? Unlike those two, I use darkness. Ta-ta." Roxas said, sounding sadistic and unlike himself as he sunk into the portal… and arriving back at the dungeon he was in. "That… was… way… too close…" he panted slightly, before clearing his throat to say something. "Now… It's time for a nap." And with that, he passed out.

* * *

Aqua stood up, still in shock… She had been so sure she was right, but after that… _There's no way ROXAS could use darkness… It's one thing to use a Keyblade and to hide your face- and there's no way Roxas is normal- but… Who could that have been? It sounded just like Ven with that scream…Oh wait, Roxas is still in that dungeon!_

While unconscious, Roxas was dreaming again. _I'm back here again… will I be able to hear the voice clearer?_

"_... xas… ple...ase… Get… to… C...a….stle… of… d...r...e...a...m...s…"_

_The… Castle of Dreams? Will I be able to hear you better if I fell asleep over there? … Please, you have to answer me! I shut my eyes, as if hoping to hear the voice better._

"_Dr…ea…ms… im…por…tant… hu...rr…y… g… o…"_

_O-okay! I'll see if I can get there! But please, at least tell me your name!_

"_... M...y… na...me… is…" Yes, uh-huh?_

_Suddenly the dream ended abruptly, and I felt someone shaking me, gently, but enough to wake me up._

"Wake… up…!"

"Ugh… who's… there?" Roxas groaned, still feeling tired.

"Come on, wake up!" It sounded familiar… female… Xi… "Wake up before I shove ice down your shirt!" Xi… o… "VEN!" Roxas's musing was interrupted by a pile of ice being shoved down the boy's coat!

Roxas gasped as he felt the sudden coldness and jumped, quickly sitting up. "Wah!?" He jumped, seeing a girl in black and with black hair in front of him. "H-huh?" He shook his head, confused, before the girl turned into a young woman with blue hair. "Aqua!?"

The woman frowned, standing up and crossing her arms in irritation. "Ven, why are you using darkness!? You know Master Eraqus said it was a bad idea to ever succumb to it! So why are you using it as a portal!?"

"Wah?" Roxas blinked, not in full grips with reality yet. "I'm not-"

"Don't deny it Ven! Why did you use it?" Aqua demanded, scowling angrily.

"But I didn't-" Roxas began to protest, before reality stopped him as he finally woke up enough to realize what was going on.

Aqua frowned even more, crossing her arms. "Ven, stop denying it- you're wearing the cloak! I don't know why you came back- but why did you have to hide it from me?"

Roxas blinked a few times before realizing he must've passed out before removing his cloak… Oops. _Gah! Another screw up!_ "A-Aqua, listen, what you see before you is only a copy."

That seemed to only anger the woman further, and she reached down and slapped him. "Don't give me that, Ven! You scared me to death with that scream of yours when we were fighting Maleficent!" she snapped.

"... Why'd you slap me for?" Roxas asked, shocked she did that. "Listen, I meant what I said, Aqua. I'm-"

Aqua interrupted him, putting a finger to his lips. "Don't say another word, Ven…" Tears began to appear in her eyes, but she wiped them away. "J-just… why did you _lie_ to me? I don't understand… You're supposed to be open with us- but you wear a cloak so we won't worry about you, is that it?"

_She's never going to let me finish, is she? The real Ven's going to get an earful if I don't correct this soon. But how? If I tell her I'm Roxas that would just put me in an even more dangerous position… _"...What about Roxas? Didn't you come here to get him?" He said this to stall for time.

The blue haired woman frowned, nodding. "Yes- and I find you instead… Roxas is probably in another cell… but you must have came here to try and find him too- I learned how worried you were when he disappeared…"

"Wait, really?" Roxas blinked. _I thought Ven didn't care about me…_ "O-oh, nevermind… I'm going now." He tried to get out of Aqua's protective grasp, but she wouldn't let him go. "Please Aqua, let me go!"

Aqua frowned, beginning to cry as she suddenly hugged him. "O-oh Ven… Ven, I'm sorry I made you go to these lengths…! W-we care about you… We really do- please, stop using the darkness!"

Roxas shook his head, frowning worriedly. "Aqua, please… I'm… I'm not… Ven." he said hesitantly and slowly, he didn't want to keep hurting her by making her think her precious Ven was using darkness and pushing her away anymore, but in doing so he's risking a lot.

Aqua said nothing, she just hugged him tighter and cried even harder. _W-where'd we go wrong? Ven was so innocent… what'd he see out here? Or… or was he doing it beforehand too? … He was screaming earlier… did… did something happen to him in that battle?_

"A-Aqua please, I'm not Ven, okay? I'm not him, he's not here… he's somewhere else." Roxas said a bit more urgently, not understanding why she wouldn't listen.

Aqua took a few shuddering breaths, ignoring him as she slowly pushed him away so she could look him in the eye. "V-Ven… did you get hurt in that battle? What happened?"

Roxas sighed, shaking his head. "If you can see into my eyes, Aqua, then you must know I'm not Ventus."

The blue haired woman frowned, growing confused by what he was still saying. _Why is he still insisting he's not Ven? He is, I KNOW he is… That scream couldn't- it couldn't have been anyone else!_

Roxas had enough, and he pushed her away from him. "If you want proof, then come to the Castle of Dreams, that's where I'm going." Then he summoned the Corridor of Darkness beside him with a flick of his hand.

Aqua's eyes widened, and she desperately tried to stop him. "W-wait, Ven!" But it was too late- he disappeared. _…A second time in a row? W-why is he pushing me away so much?_

Roxas didn't go to another world though, instead he appeared on the other side of the dungeon and took off his black coat. _I sure hope my plan works. I don't want her thinking Ven's using darkness like that, but I also don't want her to know it was ME either… I'll have to convince her it was a clone or something to put her heart and mind at ease… without exposing myself… This is gonna be hard…_

After putting away his coat, Roxas cried out, looking outside the cell as he heard footsteps. "Aqua? Is that you?" He blinked, seeing red circles around her eyes. "...Aqua? Are you alright?"

Aqua sniffed as she looked up at Roxas, shaking her head slowly. "N-no… I'm not Roxas…"

Roxas frowned as she opened the cell to let him out. "Wh-what's wrong? Did something bad happened?" He stepped out, and she instantly gave him a hug! "A-Aqua!?"

She sniffed, whispering in his ear, "J-just… please… let me do this for… for a little while… I need… I need to get this out…"

"O-okay… s-sure…" Roxas said, frowning as he felt her head on his chest, crying silently." A-Aqua… please… don't cry… I… I don't like that you're crying…" The Nobody felt terrible…_ he_ was the one who's responsible for her pain.

Aqua didn't respond for a while, still sobbing into his chest. _I… I can almost imagine… t-that this is Ven…!_

Roxas could feel a tear falling from his own eyes- if he had a real heart, it would be crushing his chest right now. _So… why does it feel like it's crushing my chest even though I don't have a heart?_ "C-come on Aqua, I know you're sad, but cheer up! Things will be better!" he tried to say, but his voice cracked a bit halfway through.

Soon enough, though, Aqua finally managed to say, "M-maybe… but… but Ven… Ven's…!"

"Shhh… It's okay Aqua… Try to calm down… Now take a deep breath and tell me what happened to Ven." Roxas said, trying to stay calm. He remembered seeing some people around Twilight Town comfort those crying, he hoped he was doing a good job since he never had to deal with this back in the Organization.

The Keyblade Master took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself before she looked up at him. "Ven… he's using darkness… to try and hide himself from me! I-I don't know if he's done it with Terra too… but… he should _trust_ us…"

Roxas felt guilty, but he hid it well from her. "... Aqua, I've met these three fairies… and they said Ventus's heart is pure light… meaning he _can't_ possibly use darkness… Are you sure it was VEN you saw?"

Aqua sniffed, beginning to cry even harder at the news. "R-Roxas… don't you get it? …No… you weren't there... Ven… Ven screamed in pain during a fight- t-the same scream he let out a few years ago! It's hurting him…!"

"What… what scream? What was hurting him?" Roxas asked, sounding confused. And frankly, he _was_ confused- it didn't make any sense to him. _So that's it… when my head began imploding, my screaming must've reminded her too much of that incident with Ven… That's kind of creepy, that we gave the same scream… Then again, it seems we've been mirroring each other since day one._

Aqua sobbed, managing to say, "I… h-he… his heart's pure light- so- so the darkness is causing him so much pain he let out the… the same scream…!" Roxas's eyes widened. "It- it all… It all makes sense now… I-I found him passed out later… T-the… the darkness must've gotten too painful…"

"I… N-now, now, now, calm down Aqua, we don't know for sure that's what really happened! Look, did he say anything else before he suddenly disappeared on you?" Roxas asked her, hoping to try and calm her down.

Aqua paused at that, surprised. _H-how did… how did he know Ven disappeared? _"I… y-yeah- he said… he said he was going to… the Castle of Dreams next…"

"The Castle of Dreams huh? … Is that another world?" Roxas asked her, hoping she'll say yes and they can both just get there so he can prove to her that wasn't Ventus she saw.

Aqua frowned, slowly nodding. "I… Y-yes, but… Roxas, we have to take you back to the Land of Departure first!"

"I know, Aqua, but this is an emergency. Aren't you worried that Ven would fall unconscious again because of the darkness?" Roxas quickly said to her. "Please Aqua, we don't have time to go back to the Land of Departure now- not if your friend is really in danger!"

"..." Aqua frowned, now caught between two horrible situations, before she blinked. "...Roxas… you said _your_ friend- not _our_ friend." She slowly looked up at him, surprise. "Do… you feel Ven's not your friend too?"

Roxas looked away, gulping. "... We… haven't really known each other that well… and… I feel that he's more your and Terra's friend then he is mine since I'm only an outsider in this trio."

Aqua frowned a bit, before suddenly hugging Roxas again! _I won't let him be consumed by the darkness either… _"Roxas…" she murmured. "We're your friends… We care about you, no matter what- you may be an outsider… But you're a great person…"

"Maybe I am, but… I'll never truly be one of you or in your circle of friends." Roxas said, mostly to himself, sadly. "But… it's okay, I'm used to being on my own. I just… want to help you, the people who truly matters."

Aqua gasped softly, squeezing Roxas just a bit tighter. _N-no… not again…! I-I don't want to lose another friend to the darkness… _"Roxas, please, _listen to me_- we care about you, more than you think! You matter to us, don't think you don't matter at all!"

Roxas looked at her for a second before giving her a smile. "Thanks Aqua… I'm glad to know that you really care for me. Even if nobody else does, I'm happy to know at least one person with a heart does…" he mostly said to himself, as if he was talking in a distant memory.

Aqua blinked at that, more than a little surprised. "...At least one person with a heart…?" she mumbled under her breath. _What in the world does he mean by _that_?_

Roxas shook his head as if to get back into reality, and he gave her another soft smile. "Well anyway… should we get going, Aqua? We have a friend to save after all."

"..." Aqua frowned a bit, but she slowly nodded. "I… suppose so… Come on, Roxas- let's go…" She tapped her armor, and in a burst of light, she was covered in her own armor.

Roxas then held her hand, allowing the armor to share itself on him as she turned her Keyblade into a Keyblade Glider and they flew out the window and into the Realms In-between Worlds.

"Don't worry, Aqua, I can promise you that your friend Ven is okay." Roxas said to her as they flew towards the Castle of Dreams. _After all… he's not the one you saw…_

* * *

Soon, they landed right outside a castle, walking in just as the bell struck midnight. Aqua blinked, looking around slowly in surprise. "He's… not here…" she murmured to herself.

Roxas looked around, shrugging. "Maybe we're supposed to find him." Then he saw a woman in a white gown running, as if someone's chasing her. "Hey, who's that?"

"Stop! Wait, please madam!" a fancy many with a one-eyed glasses shouted, running after her, but the woman was already out the door.

"Aqua? Roxas!?" Aqua turned, but Roxas almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Terra… Last he saw, Roxas was falling to his doom because of the Unversed. "ROXAS!" He smiled in relief, rushing down to greet them both. "Oh, you're alright- I can't believe it! How did you survive!? How did Aqua _find_ you!?" He then suddenly hugged Roxas, surprising the Nobody! "Oh, it doesn't matter- you're alive!"

Aqua gave a chuckle, shaking her head in amusement. "Careful Terra, or you'll crush the fragile boy."

When Terra let go of Roxas, he looked up at the bulky Keyblade Wielder, surprised. "You… you actually missed me?"

The brown haired man nodded, frowning a bit in confusion. "Of course- last I saw you, I was sure you were going to… T-that I'd never see you again! To see you here…" He suddenly hugged Roxas again, kneeling down. "I was _so _worried about you!"

Roxas was so surprised by Terra's reaction that he didn't know what to say… After all, when Ventus just ran out on him earlier, he assumed they didn't really care for him because he's not as close friend to them as they were each other. Maleficent's words may have had something to do with it too…. but… "W-well… I… I don't know what to say… Nobody's ever really been worried about me before…" _Unless I count Axel and… and… who else?_

Aqua spoke up, finally breaking the happy moment. "Terra… Roxas believes we're not really his friends… and… Ven's ran away from home, and he's… W-well…" She hesitated, not sure if she should tell Terra about what happened to Ven. "...Do you have any idea why he'd just run like that? Or why Roxas would feel so badly about himself?"

Terra frowned, shaking his head thoughtfully. "... Not really… Well… earlier, Ven did try to tell me something… I guess I should've heard him out first. And Roxas did seem worried about something too." He looked at the younger boy, frowning in concern.

Roxas sighed, shaking his head. "It's… nothing really important…" he muttered, glancing to the side.

Terra frowned, still confused, before he perked up, glancing at Aqua. "A-actually… I think I found Master Xehanort!" Aqua blinked in surprise. "He's looking for pure hearts filled with light! His search hasn't taken him here, but… He's trying to correct a mistake he made by accident."

"If that's true… then maybe we should all work together to keep the lights safe and the darkness at bay… See… I think the darkness may have… gotten a hold on Ven, or at least are attacking him from within." Aqua said hesitantly.

Roxas paled before speaking up quickly before Terra gets involved. "I-I'm sure Ven is okay! We're still not 100% sure that WAS Ventus we saw, Aqua!"

The blue haired woman frowned, slowly shaking her head. "You may not be sure, Roxas… but I…" She hesitated. "That scream… it was too much like his to NOT be him…"

"What do you mean? What's going on with Ven, Aqua?" Terra all but almost demanded, worried for whom he considered a little brother.

Aqua began to speak before the Nobody quickly covered her mouth. "Nothing is wrong with Ven, Terra!" Roxas spoke up. "There's just some…_ look alike _running around and using darkness!"

Terra frowned, turning away. "Could it be…?" he muttered to himself. _…Does Vanitas look… just like Ven under the mask?_

Roxas began looking relieved that Terra seems to be considering this, unlike Aqua who seems very determined that really was Ven she saw. "So you see? We can't just assume that was Ventus until we get the full story."

Terra frowned in thought, slowly nodding. "...He's right, Aqua… Master Xehanort mentioned something that might explain what you saw…" He began to walk out the door. "And I have to go find him- I'll see you later, Aqua…Roxas."

"Wait, why don't you take Roxas with you? He really should be back at the Land of Departure." Aqua said, frowning worriedly.

Terra paused, slowly shaking his head… "No… the last time I tried to bring him back, we were attacked by a swarm of Unversed. I worry he might not survive the next time it happens… I think he's in safer hands with you, Aqua- he might not fall. Besides, you may be able to connect to him more, just like you have with Ven."

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Roxas pouted.

Aqua winced at that, though, looking away. "..." _Did I really connect with Ven…? _she wondered to herself. _He… he just ran away from me… and if it isn't a look alike… then he also hid so much from me… And Terra, too…!_

"Oh, and… there's a girl here named Cinderella, she has a dream… Do you still have the same dream, Aqua?" Terra asked her, glancing back at her with a small smile.

"Huh? Oh, of course." Aqua said, snapping out of her little trance.

"Good. What dreams do you have, Roxas?" Terra asked the Nobody.

Roxas blinked at that, surprised. "Me? … Well… I guess my dream is… to be my own person."

Terra chuckled to himself. "Well… Cinderella showed me that if you believe hard enough, your dream can always wipe away the darkness. If you see her, give her my thanks, alright?"

"Right, thanks." Aqua nodded as Terra walked out.

Roxas turned to Aqua, "... Um… so… where are we going first?" _I must find the best spot to put on the cloak and try my plan..._

Aqua shrugged, glancing up at where the ballroom would be. "I guess… we'll look around for some clues- figure out where Ven is…" Then she gave a soft smile. _But… Terra will be alright, at least… He won't give in to it…!_

Roxas sighed but nodded, "Alright, we'll look around here for a while, but if we don't find 'Ven', we'll have to look else where." _I don't think a castle full of people is the best spot for 'Ven' to show up._

Aqua frowned, nodding. "Yeah… but I'm also looking for more clues about the Unversed…"

"Well, maybe we should split up, perhaps we'll find Ven easier that way." Roxas suggested, giving a shrug. _That way I can put on my cloak…_

Aqua frowned worriedly, shaking her head. "I… I don't think so, Roxas- someone might mistake you for Ven or something… Besides, what if you get hurt?" _Or get influenced by darkness…? _"No, stick with me."

"Hey, don't worry about me. There's a lot of people here, so I don't think the Unversed would bother with me. Look, we can cover more ground this way- you can trust me, can't you?" Roxas asked her, giving her a small pout.

Aqua felt her heart tighten in pain at how similar Roxas looked to Ventus right then, but as she thought about it, Roxas made sense. "...Well…" She sighed. "Alright, Roxas… We'll split up- but we'll meet up here in the lobby in about 2 hours, understood young man?"

"Of course! You don't have to treat me like a kid!" Roxas said, still pouting, and he really sounded like Ventus right there. In fact, Aqua almost believed this WAS Ven in Roxas's clothing, it was scary how similar the two were…

The blue-haired woman sniffled a bit, trying to keep a brave face, but she quickly gave Roxas a hug. "J-just… if anything happens, run- okay? Don't try to be a hero without a weapon…"

"... Uh… o-okay." Roxas was surprised and confused at Aqua's sudden reaction to him. "Hey, I'll be fine, I promise. I know I may not look it, but I can take care of myself. I'll see you in 2 hours!" He gave her a weak smile as he gently pried her off of him and ran off.

Aqua nodded softly, turning around and murmuring to herself, "Please… be careful…" She took a deep breath, steadying herself once more before walking into the ballroom.

Roxas ran down the stairs, almost getting pushed around by the crowd. "Excuse me, whoa, take it easy! Hey! I'm trying to come through here! Oh sorry, didn't mean to bump you!" The young Nobody was relieved to finally reach the front door of the crowded castle, it was full of panicking people. "Ugh… I never liked crowds…"

The Nobody looked up at the beautiful night sky before sitting on the stairs. _I have to find a way to convince Aqua that wasn't Ven she saw without exposing myself… but how? How can I do that?_

He frowned in thought, puzzling the issue over for about half an hour, before he finally got an idea that might work. _We don't know what Vanitas looks like… So if he's Ven's dark half… maybe I can pretend I'm Vanitas without a mask! Yeah! Okay, but uh… hmm… What if the real Vanitas comes and completely wrecks that plan? _Frowning at that new inconsistency to his plan, Roxas continued to think it over.

* * *

Finally, Roxas grinned, his plan all set. He jumped to his feet, looking around. _I'll just have to hope the real Vanitas doesn't come while I'm putting my plan into action… _"Alright, time to get g- OOF!" He bumped into someone's chest, instantly falling to the ground. "Owwww…" He groaned in pain, glancing up to see… "Xehanort!?"

The yellow-eyed old man smirked, nodding. "Of course- who else would I be?" He then held out a hand. "It seems you haven't been returned home yet… Come with me- I'll learn where your home world is, Roxas!"

Roxas scrambled away from him before standing up, looking on guard. "Why did you come here? Just to come and pick me up?" He frowned suspiciously, crossing his arms. "Frankly, that sounds crazy to me… so forgive me if I find that odd and suspicious."

Xehanort frowned a bit, looking slightly sad. "But Roxas… I'm merely attempting to correct my mistake, Vanitas- I believe he had something to do with you and Ventus meeting, let alone you teleporting away from your world! I can't help but feel that it is my duty to fix the wrongs I have made by my mistake…"

"Well I can't say that I should trust you. You seem interested in me, and that's more than just creepy." Roxas frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What are you _really_ after, Xehanort? I know you're not someone who would regret making someone like Vanitas." The young Nobody could sense the darkness spiking in Xehanort, as if tensing.

Xehanort's eyes widened in shock. "What!? Roxas, how could you say something like that!?" He frowned. "I am a Keyblade Master, meant to keep the world in balance- I am _not_ after anything other than the safety of the worlds, and of those close to me!"

"Well I'm sorry to say that I'm not close to you, so you don't need to worry about me." Roxas said, crossing his arms. "I'm sure you're here for a different reason, perhaps to find someone?" Xehanort's darkness tensed again, and the Nobody smirked. "I hit it right on the nail, didn't I?" _I've really been hanging with Axel too long._

"..." Xehanort frowned, growing irritated. "You honestly believe I don't care for you? You may not be close to me, but you look exactly like Ventus- and as you know, I care for him like a son. I may be curious as to why you look just like him, but-"

"Spare me your phony emotions, Xehanort. I can see right through your little facade. You don't care about my safety, you're more interested in knowing who I am and why I look like Ventus, don't you? You're going to use Ven for something, something big." Roxas said, glaring more and more as he spoke. _After all, that's what Xemnas did… and I'm not going to be fooled or used again!_

Xehanort's eyes widened again, before he clenched his fist in fury. "...I see- you believe you know everything, do you Roxas?" He began to smirk. "Perhaps you're not as naive as I thought you were… Unlike Eraqus's naive students, you could see right through me…" He began to advance on Roxas, his darkness beginning to fluctuate. "Well, you're quite correct… But of course, you didn't need _me_ to tell you that." He held out his hand once more. "Come with me, Roxas- I'd rather not have you covered in bruises and unconscious!"

"So you _are_ here for me! What do you want from me, huh? What did Vanitas tell you about me?" Roxas snapped, preparing himself to fight, but he hadn't summoned his Keyblade yet.

Xehanort frowned at that, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "...Vanitas? What do you mean? He didn't tell me any- …" Suddenly he seemed furious. "Why that impudent…!" He grumbled to himself, before glaring at Roxas. "So you're not going to come willingly, I see…" He then held out a hand, darkness emerging around it. "Very well then, we'll do this the hard way. But remember… this was your choice, not mine!" The darkness then compacted itself together to create a dark sphere!

Roxas gasped as he quickly cast Reflectaga to summon a barrier around himself, causing the dark ball to not only cancel out but the barrier to shoot out the same amount of power Xehanort just hit him with!

The old man smirked, easily dodging the energy now aimed for him. "I see… You know magic, do you? This is going to be quite interesting…" He held his hand to the side again, this time summoning a Keyblade.

"H-hey! That's not fair! Aqua just taught me some magic to defend myself, but why are you attacking me for? I'm just a defenseless boy!" Roxas yelled, trying to act scared, and he looked ready to bolt.

Xehanort merely chuckled darkly, summoning a dark barrier around himself. "Just as I haven't fooled you, you haven't fooled me, Roxas… You're more than meets the eye, I can tell- do not try to attempt lying with me!"

Roxas hissed as he smirked, shaking his head in amusement. "Well fine, I guess that's fair then. No need to hide my skills from you." With that, he backflipped, dodging another Dark Fire before summoning his Oathkeeper Keyblade into his hand with a flash of light.

Xehanort growled in frustration, holding his Keyblade in front of him. "So, you're a Keyblade Wielder, hmm?" He smirked darkly. "Interesting… Show me more, Roxas!" He held his Keyblade to the air, summoning a Dark Thunder to attack Roxas.

Roxas reacted with a Dodge Roll, escaping the Dark Thunder before he Air Dashed closer to Xehanort and smashing him with Oathkeeper before jumping back and shooting out a Firaga fire ball at him. "FIRE!"

Xehanort grunted a bit, but he summoned a Dark Barrier to protect himself, smirking. "So you're agile- the similarities between you and Ventus are astounding!"

"What are you talking about? I don't fight like Ven!" Roxas snapped, not liking to be compared with someone else. First Sora and now Ventus, it's getting on the Nobody's last nerves. _Granted I haven't seen Ven fight much, but at least I don't hold my Keyblade backwards!_

Xehanort laughed in amusement, and Roxas cringed at the gravely sound it made. "You're more alike than you know, Roxas… Your eyes shine with the same light as his- intriguing!" Then he held out his Keyblade. "You're impressive with magic- but now we will test your melee abilities!"

Before Roxas could argue, Xehanort was suddenly in front of him, slashing with his Keyblade! Roxas quickly blocked, but he did get hit into a wall. "Ugh…" But he quickly recovered and managed to parry against more of his incoming slashes. Roxas tried to get a hit on him, but Xehanort suddenly summoned the Dark Barrier around himself, causing Roxas's Keyblade to bounce off and to get hit by some of its dark magic. _For an old man, he sure is fast… and strong too- this is going to be hard…!_

Roxas couldn't go anywhere since Xehanort basically had him cornered at the castle's walls, so the Nobody had to try and push him away. Roxas began attacking in a frenzy, similar to how he would if he had Oblivion with him too, but he wanted to stick with one Keyblade for now. Thankfully, he managed to stab at Xehanort with some magic in his Oathkeeper to push him back, and he quickly jumped and glided above Xehanort before he could trap him again. While doing so, he used Thunderaga to keep the old man from attacking him while in midair.

Xehanort grunted, but he smirked, suddenly teleporting right in front of Roxas and slamming him to the ground with his Keyblade! "Now now, Roxas… I said we were testing your melee skills- not your magical abilities!"

Roxas grunted in pain, but he didn't answer Xehanort, instead he tried to swing Oathkeeper at him, making the man jump off him. "You want melee attacks? Well, fine." Roxas changed Oathkeeper into Oblivion right in front of Xehanort's face, the Oblivion had more attack power than Oathkeeper did since Oathkeeper uses more magic. "Take this!" He slashed again and again, and due to Xehanort's shock, he managed to get a few hits in.

The older man grunted in pain, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "You can switch Keyblades while attacking…?" he smirked again. "I see… What else do you have, Roxas?" He suddenly teleported behind Roxas again, slashing away before using a quick-freezing spell, forcing Roxas to remain in one spot. "I suppose I will learn soon enough… But you are quite powerful- who taught you, young man?"

Roxas glared through the ice, managing to crack a tiny bit of it. "Who taught me what?" he spat out. "How to use a Keyblade?!" his anger was rising as memories of his doubts and questions with the Organization began to flare up again. "You want to know all about me... asking questions even _I_ don't know the answers to…!"

Xehanort blinked in surprise, noticing the ice surrounding Roxas was cracking rather quickly. _How is he breaking it so quickly!?_ "You seem very-" His eyes widened as Roxas let out a loud yell, shattering the ice around him and standing up. _What in the worlds!? His darkness isn't increasing- but his power…!_

"You think you can just manipulate and use me, don't you!? Well I'm not going to let you!" Roxas snapped angrily as he jumped into the sky and began summoning pillars of bright light around him, creating about 13 of them.

Xehanort's eyes widened even more, and he took a step back. _How is he doing this!? This kind of power… it's… it's incredible! _He began to smirk, darkness surrounding him more and more.

Roxas fired the pillars of light at Xehanort, he seemed to be controlling their formations now instead of just firing them everywhere, he made them like bars of light and aimed at Xehanort before he suddenly made them all scramble and aim at him one at a time with amazing speed!

The old man gritted his teeth, quickly summoning a barrier all around him. To his shock though, the bars of light smashed right through his barriers one by one, until only one bar of light was left. "This power…!" He began to laugh. "Well done, Roxas… I may use _you_ instead when the time is right- we shall see!"

"NO! I will NOT be USED AGAIN!" Roxas suddenly screamed out in anger as he dived from the sky with Oblivion at Xehanort. Roxas's aggressiveness allowed him to become powerful but… it also left him wide open for punishment, and Xehanort saw it all too well, and he took advantage of it. He slammed his Keyblade right into Roxas's gut, forcing the attack to stop just before it could smash the old man's head open. "Uh… g-guh…!" the injured boy groaned, falling to the ground in pain.

Xehanort chuckled darkly, putting his boot on Roxas's head and beginning to put more and more weight on it. Roxas cried out in pain, the familiar grasp of unconsciousness beginning to take him in. "You're quite strong for your age- extraordinarily so! But… you are still no match for _me_."

Roxas growled as he tried to get up and get the old coot's foot off his head, but he was badly weakened from that attack. _That's because I still wasn't using my full powers, Xehanort, not like how I did with Vanitas… If I could just… use Curaga…_ "What… what do… you want… from me?" he asked weakly, mostly to stall for time until he can gather the energy he needed to cast Curaga on himself.

Xehanort chuckled darkly, the darkness surrounding Roxas's vision enveloping his eyesight slowly. "You shall see soon enough… But for now… you may as well _take a nap_…" Roxas gritted his teeth, still trying to gather energy for Curaga… but the energy he already had was draining away.

_No… what's happening to me? Why… why can't I… use Curaga?_ Roxas thought weakly to himself as Oblivion disappeared from his hand.

"ROXAS!" a familiar voice screamed suddenly. "Who are you!? Let my friend go, RIGHT NOW!"

Roxas managed to open his eyes to see the darkness faded and heard Xehanort whisper to his ear, "You got lucky boy, but I'll be back for you soon enough…" And suddenly… he was gone.

"Ugh… A… Aqu...a…" Roxas moaned weakly, trying to stand up, but he couldn't move without pain enveloping his entire body. "You… found… m...e…?"

The blue haired woman rushed to his side, looking him over worriedly. "Of course I did… I heard someone fighting outside- Roxas, what happened to you?" _I shouldn't have left his side for a moment!_

"... I… I guess… may….be… some...one's… af...ter… Ven… and… mis… took me… for… him… a-and… w-wa...nted t-to… t-test… him…" Roxas found his voice failing him… he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep now.

Aqua gasped, feeling Roxas grow slightly colder in her arms. "R-Roxas… Roxas, no! C-come on, stay with me!" She began to panic, frantically casting Cura on him. "Don't… don't close your eyes!"

Roxas tried to keep his eyes open, but it was getting too hard. Aqua paled when she saw the light in his eyes were dull… just like Ven's were when she and Terra first met him… The young Nobody couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and soon had to close them. _I guess… maybe when a Nobody dies… they just… disappear, right? Maybe I'll finally be in peace and reunited with Sora like everyone wanted…_

* * *

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Pretty epic battle- and see, Roxas LOST to Xehanort, so it's obvious he's not gonna be OP in this story. Yes Roxas could've used his dual wield ability, but he didn't and just because he's potentially stronger doesn't mean he'll always win. Xehanort has years of experience and proper training under his belt, Roxas is more self taught and only had a year of training, not to mention he's pretty short tempered.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Precisely- it's only the EXPERIENCE that makes our little Nobody stronger than the trainees, for as properly trained as they are… they're still trainees for a reason, and experience teaches better than anything else.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ Now I'll bet ya'll are wondering why Aqua would be so convinced that Roxas was Ven when he was wearing that black coat. Well if you've seen Birth By Sleep's flashback, you'll see a part where Ven grabs his head and yells in pain, and to Aqua, that was pretty traumatic- so hearing Roxas scream, whose voice is exactly like Ven's, at least in the English version, she's gonna think it's him being taken over by the darkness, so she is understandably worried.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Hmm… That's it, I think- oh, right! Some of you reviewers have been telling us Roxas is NOT Ven's Nobody and just has the boy's heart. And the thing is, we KNOW that- when did we, as AUTHORS, say that's the case? All we said is Roxas has a pure heart just like Ven's- no more, no less.**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ That's the problem though, sometimes people just make their own assumptions based on what we have CHARACTERS that are NOT in the know say. Like we said in our previous AN: we KNOW what we're doing, okay? We are aware Roxas is Sora's Nobody and only has Ven's heart within him. The fairies mistook him as Ventus, or at least his Nobody, BECAUSE he has his heart!**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Alright, we've clarified ourselves… Uh, let's see, anything else… Oh! Somebody asked if Roxas will get a Shotlock. Well, we won't say yes or no to that for sure- but no matter what, we are NOT giving him new abilities, he'll have the same powers he has both in-game and as a boss. Now whether or not one of those abilities could be a Shotlock is up to you, the reviewers, to decide!**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ There's one more thing that bugged me. We've failed to say this in the last AN because we forgot about it, but someone asked why didn't Eraqus acted more suspicious of Roxas? At the very least the guy wouldn't let this go so quickly. Okay, yes, we are aware that maybe Eraqus should've been more suspicious, and yes, maybe he let Roxas off pretty easy- however, also remember that he is a fair man most of the time, and he truly believes that Roxas had meant no harm since the boy hadn't shown that he could defend himself at all.**

**_Key2DestNE:_ Right- in other words, if we had Roxas actually SHOW his Keyblade at the Land of Departure, we would have had a VEEEERY different story on our hands. If you want to try that, go right ahead- just be sure to credit us for the original idea, and know that this is OUR beliefs to what the man would do and not do. Anything else, Fox?**

**_DarkFoxKit:_ No, I think that covers everything so far. You know the drills, leave a comment on your thoughts of the story in the review box, PM us if you have any questions, and have a nice day.**


	7. Chapter 6: Questions

**DarkFoxKit: Hello everybody! Glad to see ya'll are still surviving and reading the story! I mean, some of you were just DYING to know what happened next since Roxas was apparently dying!**

**Key2DestNE: *elbows her* You didn't have to say they were DYING to know… It's not even that punny! *huffs, rolling his eyes* ...But yeah, it's time for a new chapter of Roxas's Story. What'll happen here? Heh… Weeeeell, I won't spoil anything for you all~**

**DarkFoxKit: And you may have noticed Roxas has been sticking with Aqua lately, and well, to be fair, she probably is the most protective one out of the three over him, so that makes it a little hard for Roxas to leave. But just know it's hopefully a sufficient next chapter!**

**Key2DestNE: Now then, onto reviews… Ah- apparently a lot of you have been saying that this is one of the better KH stories on the site. Well, we're glad you think that, especially since we put a lot of emotion into it! But remember, eventually the story WILL have to end, so you may as well get the pitchforks and the torches ready!**

**DarkFoxKit: Key, what'd you have to say that for?**

**Key2DestNE: *shrugs* Hey, they had to know eventually… I'm just reminding them that it WILL happen eventually, so be prepared!**

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah, but not any time soon. Well anyway, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. We'll see ya at the bottom!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Questions**

… _But… wait… where is this? This is… the place in my dreams, right? But… why would I come here if I'm dead?_

"_You're… not dead… Roxas…" The voice! It sounded so much clearer now! And… it was so familiar…! "Just… sleeping… Trust me… you're… alive…"_

_I tried turning around, trying to find the voice… but I couldn't find anyone. Please… tell me… who are you? Why do you keep talking to me in my dreams?_

"_I'm… a friend… I… brought you into… this timeline… to help… you, Roxas."_

_Help me? Wait, YOU brought me here? But why? I don't belong in this timeline… I'm going to mess everything up! I already got Vanitas and Xehanort's attentions, I was only lucky the old coot didn't see me summon TWO Keyblades!_

"_You… don't need… to worry… about it… Xehanort's plan… doesn't… involve you… no matter… what."_

_Well I'm glad for that, but… Do you know what's going on here or do I have to find out for myself?_

"_I know… all too well… what's happening… here…" The voice sounded… tired? "Be… careful… Things aren't… what they seem… Aqua… fell into… that trap… herself."_

_That… doesn't sound good… I frowned. Okay, but… could you at least give me your name? I want to know who you are at least._

"_You.. know me… My name… is…"_

* * *

"Roxas… Roxas!"

Roxas didn't respond at first, making the voice sounding more worried. "Are you sure it worked?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure, just give him a minute dearie, he's probably still trying to come to." an unfamiliar voice spoke.

Roxas didn't speak for another minute or two, but he began to groan, his body feeling completely sore. "Ugh…" _Again, someone wakes me up just before the voice can tell me their name! Is this going to be a regular thing?_

"Roxas!" the worried voice suddenly said with huge relief before a pair of warm hands held his shoulders and a head over his chest. "... Roxas, you're alive!"

Roxas slowly opened his eyes, feeling sore and a bit dizzy, but otherwise he was fine. "Aqua…?" He blinked as he saw her hugging him. "... Ugh… what happened?" He groaned, rubbing his forehead in pain. "Gah… headache…!"

Aqua didn't respond for a minute or two, leaving the second voice to speak up. "Aqua here was quite worried for you- apparently you got badly hurt in a fight, and she tried to heal you even as you slipped away from her! Thankfully I was able to help… How are you feeling?"

Roxas blinked a few times before memories of what happened with Xehanort came back. He was so sure he was dying back there… but it seems Aqua and this… fairy over here kept him alive and saved him. "I'm… very sore and I have a headache… but I'm fine. Thank you, both of you… I probably wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't saved me, Aqua."

Aqua blinked, her head still on his chest, before she pulled her head up to look into his eyes. "...R-Roxas…" She looked searching into his eyes… before she smacked him! "What did I tell you about not acting like a hero!?"

"Ow… Aqua! I'm still injured here!" Roxas grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "And it wasn't like I PLANNED for that to happen, I was just kinda attacked okay?" He then blinked, feeling Aqua hug him again. "Uh… what?" he awkwardly asked, frowning in confusion.

He then tensed up, feeling his jacket begin to grow damp. "I-I… I was so worried you… you were…!" Aqua sniffled, beginning to cry again. "Don't do that again! Please… J-just stay with me from now on- I don't want you to be hurt!"

Roxas sighed, this was going to make his plan to show Ven's not corrupted a whole lot harder if she won't let him leave his side. "Aqua…"

"Please… tell me… what… what happened back there?" Aqua asked him, sniffling in his jacket. "And- and don't lie!"

"I was just ambushed by someone strong." Roxas said, not wanting to tell her it was her so-called Master Xehanort that did this to him, he just had a strong feeling she shouldn't know about that right now. "It just happened so fast I couldn't get a good look at who it was."

Aqua frowned, gripping him just a bit tighter. "And… and they're still out there, whoever they were?" she shakily asked. _…That's it… I won't let him out of my sight- what if they attack him again?_

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but… Cinderella is in trouble and we must help her before it's too late. She's been locked in her room and Jaq is trying so very hard to bring the key to her." The Fairy Godmother said with some urgency in her voice.

Roxas frowned, confused. "...Cinderella…" He glanced up at a nearby window with the light on. "That's… the woman that Terra helped… right?"

"Yes… she is." Aqua said as she helped Roxas up, having his arm slung over her shoulder. "When I came here for some help, the woman inside refused to give me any herbs or medicine for you, Roxas, but I ran into Fairy Godmother here and her magic helped kept you alive. For that, I owe her by helping Cinderella."

Roxas blushed in embarrassment at having Aqua helping him stand, and he muttered to her, "I-I'm fine Aqua, I can stand on my own… And besides, I owe her too, I'm going to help."

Aqua frowned, but she sighed. _Well.. this helps me keep an eye on him better… _"Alright, Roxas- Fairy Godmother said she'll use her magic to get us up there when we're ready. How do you feel now?"

"Still a bit sore, but I'll live." Roxas said as he took her arm off her shoulder, bending over a bit but trying to stay stable.

Fairy Godmother nodded, frowning a bit. "Yes, Cinderella's heart is full of light, but where there is light there will be darkness. Her light caused Lady Tremaine and both her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, to have jealousy of her inner light. So please, hurry. I'll use my magic to help you get to Jaq, but that's all I can do, unfortunately."

"That's fine, just leave it to us." Roxas said with a smile. Then he noticed Aqua wince slightly. _…Why is she- …Oh… I guess I remind her of Ven too, huh…? _He frowned to himself. _It seems I'm always a copy of someone, no matter what timeline I'm in…_

"Here we go. Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo!" The Fairy Godmother waved her wand and the sparkling light surrounded both Aqua and Roxas as they flew into the window of the house, shrinking down to mice size.

"... Whoa, everything's so big." Roxas said in awe, looking around. "This is… pretty impressive- I'm pretty sure a simple sandwich would feed one of us for a week, at least!"

Aqua nodded slowly before noticing someone in front of them both, holding a key… It was an actual mouse! "...Um… are you okay?" she worriedly asked, beginning to walk with him.

"Gotta hurry… gotta save Cinderelle… Not much time… Must get key to door before evil stepmother shoos the big men away!" Jaq said as he tiredly carried the key.

Roxas hurried over, frowning in confusion. "Aqua, couldn't you just use your own Keyblade to unlock Cinderella's door?"

Aqua nodded, giving a small smile. "Most likely…" Then she frowned, thinking. "...But if the key isn't there… someone's going to question it, aren't they?"

"... I still say we could just use your Keyblade to open the door, but fine, let's help Jaq get there." Roxas said, and as soon as he did, Unversed appeared out of nowhere! "... How did they get this small?" he murmured to himself.

Aqua frowned, preparing to fight them. "Roxas, Jaq, you both get to the mousehole- I'll help fight these Unversed off!" Jaq gasped, seeing her Keyblade.

"That looks just like Ven-Ven!" he said excitedly. "Are you Ven's friend?" Aqua and Roxas blinked, looking at him in surprise.

"You know Ven?" Roxas asked, looking at the Unversed warily.

"Did he look okay to you, Jaq? Was he wearing a black coat?" Aqua asked the mouse, frowning worriedly.

"No-no, he was fine, in fact, Ven-Ven helped with Cinderelle's dress!" Jaq said with a smile.

The Nobody frowned, glancing around worriedly, before gasping. "We can discuss this later! The Unversed are coming right at us!" Roxas yelled, seeing they were surrounded.

Aqua frowned, holding her Keyblade up and ready to cast a spell. Roxas wanted to help any way he could without exposing himself to her, so he helped Jaq pick up the golden key and tried to help get to the mouse hole faster and away from the shrunken Unversed.

"Hurry Jaq!" Roxas yelled, helping the mouse carry it. "The Unversed are coming!"

"I'm hurrying, Ven-Ven!" Jaq said tiredly but determinedly.

"I'm Roxas, okay?" Roxas corrected him despite the situation. "ROXAS, not Ven-Ven- trust me, we look alike but we're different!"

Jaq shrugged, panting a bit. "If you say so Ven-Ven…"

"Ugh… Just keep going." Roxas groaned, not sure why the mouse didn't get it.

Aqua seemed to be having a hard time keeping all the Unversed away, and Roxas noticed as some of the fatter ones kept stomping down, causing a shockwave and hurting both him and Jaq. Roxas growled, losing his patience with them. He looked over at Aqua to see she was distracted and used this moment to use some magic of his own. "Get back!" He used Blizzaraga to freeze them. "Hurry before they thaw!"

Aqua blinked, noticing a few of the Unversed were frozen despite her not using any ice magic yet. _…How the heck…?_ She frowned in confusion but decided to use this to her advantage, smacking them as hard as she could.

"Gotta hurry!" Jaq yelled as they were close to the mouse hole but more Unversed kept showing up.

"Ugh… Do these guys ever stop?" Roxas growled in annoyance. "Aqua! A little help here!" he called for her, not wanting to risk her seeing him use magic.

The blue haired woman frowned, but she quickly used a Shotlock to destroy all the Unversed around them. "Hurry, you two- we don't have much time left!"

"We're on it!" Roxas called back as he and Jaq hurried into the mouse hole. Roxas panted, his body still hasn't fully recovered from the near death Xehanort put him in. "We… made… it…" Then he noticed the high stairs.

"Not yet, Ven-Ven, we still gotta climb stairs, take key to Cinderelle's room!" Jaq said to him.

Roxas looked at the mouse before he said, his jaw dropped, "Are… you… serious? I… won't… last that… long…"

Jaq frowned before shrugging. "We can always use mouse hole instead… You go back to Aqua, Ven-Ven- I'll bring it to Cinderelle!"

"Thank… you. And… My name is Roxas, okay? 'Ven-Ven' is a completely different person." the tired Nobody said to the mouse, who didn't seem to listen as he was already trying to climb the stairs. "Ugh… right…" Roxas slowly walked out of the mouse hole, seeing the Unversed were all gone, along with the Nobody's friend. He looked around, confused. _Where'd Aqua go? She just… disappeared! And here I thought she wouldn't leave my side after that._

Roxas mused to himself before he heard someone talking… It seems the two sisters were trying to put their big feet into the small glass shoe, but of course it couldn't fit them.

"Is there anyone else?" the man in the fancy get up asked hopefully, glancing around the house.

"No, there's nobody else here." the elder lady said with a frown, shaking her head. "My apologies that we didn't fit the quota, sir."

Roxas blinked, peering through the bars to watch before he suddenly felt tingly. "W-wah?" He blinked in surprise. "What the-" His body suddenly grew back to its original size without warning! "WAH!"

Thankfully Roxas was on ground when he re-grew, but he soon noticed Aqua, who wasn't so lucky… She was on the banister post, and when she grew back around the same time she did, she fell to the ground below! "Oww…" She groaned in pain before glancing up at the four people staring at her and Roxas above her.

"... U-uh… h-hi?" Roxas said awkwardly, giving a small wave. _C'mon, Jaq, hurry…!_

Aqua quickly spoke, standing up. "May I try that glass slipper on?"

"You?" The man in the fancy get up said with familiarity upon seeing Aqua. "I've seen you at the ballroom, so you couldn't _possibly_ be the girl…"

"Still, didn't the rules say to let all girls try it on? Well, I_ am_ a girl." Aqua said, gesturing to herself. "I deserve a chance, wouldn't you say?"

Roxas blinked before crossing his arms. _So the Prince is trying to find his missing girl with a glass slipper? … What if the glass slipper fits the completely wrong girl? That's not a very reliable way of finding someone. And what if it breaks?_

"Very well, you have a point." the fancy man said, stepping forward.

"But she and that boy don't belong here! They just barged in, they must be common thieves!" Lady Tremaine protested with a frown.

The fancy man shook his head, walking to Aqua's side. "Regardless, His Grace said _every_ maiden- and they mean no harm, by any means!"

Roxas looked over at Aqua, "Smart move." he whispered to her, giving a faint nod.

"Yeah, but… if Jaq doesn't hurry…" Aqua frowned worriedly, glancing up at the door above them.

Suddenly someone called from above, surprising everyone. "Wait, please wait!" Another woman was running down the stairs, though she wore a ragged dress instead of anything fancy. "Please… may I try it on?"

The man frowned at the lady of the house before giving the new woman a nod. "Why yes, of course- after this young lady here tries on the slippe-" Aqua shook her head, stopping him.

"Just let her try it." Aqua said, giving a small smile. "Please, I'm sure she's the one you're looking for."

Roxas nodded, agreeing with her completely. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." _There's also a good chance Aqua's feet are the same size anyway._

Cinderella sat in a chair as the gentleman walked over to her, but Lady Tremaine ended up tripping him with her staff! It caused him to accidentally fling the glass slipper and causing it to hit the floor, crashing it into pieces. "No! No! NO! That was the Prince's only lead!" He sobbed, grabbing at the pieces of the shoo desperately. "What will I do!?"

Roxas and Aqua both glared at the old lady, they had seen her do it, but they couldn't say anything without proof.

Cinderella just gave a small smile before she pulled out the other glass slipper from her pocket. "That's okay… I have the other slipper." The man smiled with hope again as he allowed her to put it on her foot, and it was a perfect fit.

Roxas and Aqua perked up, hearing a familiar mouse cheering. They both glanced at the top of the stairs and saw him jumping up and down in happiness. Roxas chuckled at that. _That's adorable- a little mouse friend did anything to help Cinderella achieve her dreams… If only I could have real friends like that, who would do anything for me… But then… Aqua did just save my life…_

"It looks like Cinderella gets a happy ending after all." Roxas said to the blue haired girl beside him as she was being lead outside by the duke.

"The Prince will want a wedding immediately! He'll be so happy!" The duke said excitedly as he was leading her out.

"Uh…" Roxas blinked. _I may not know much about weddings but… wouldn't it be better to go on a date first before you wed someone? Ah whatever, she's happy, the Prince is happy, that's all that matters, right? _"... Aqua… Where are that lady and her two daughters?"

Aqua blinked at that, glancing around. "Hmm…" She frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure- maybe they couldn't take Cinderella's achievements out of jealousy…"

"But… what if they-" Roxas began to say when they suddenly heard Cinderella's screaming outside! "... That didn't sound very good…"

"You stay here, Roxas, I'll go check it out." Aqua said to him as she hurried outside.

Roxas frowned, crossing his arms in irritation. "And here I thought she wouldn't let me leave her sight- Wait…" a light bulb appeared on his head. "This is the perfect time for my plan to come into play!" He smiled as he took out his black coat from his pocket. _I just hope it works._

* * *

Meanwhile, Aqua rushed into the forest, looking around. "Cinderella!" she called out, frowning worriedly. "Cinderella!" Then she gasped, seeing the blonde-haired girl laying facedown in a clearing. She hurried towards her and saw a huge pumpkin smiling wickedly at her, its aura was covered in darkness. She noticed Lady Tremaine and her two daughters there, smirking and laughing. "Their jealousy turned into darkness…" Aqua said to herself, frowning worriedly.

Aqua stood up as Cinderella woke up, holding her Keyblade out defensively. "Please, hurry and get to safety!"

"R-right!" Cinderella said as she ran off to safety while Aqua got ready to fight.

Meanwhile, Roxas just got his black coat on and began walking out of the mansion. He was still going over his plans in his head, really worried about the possible outcome. _I may have to fight Aqua if things get too rough… But she'll never forgive herself if she finds out I'm Roxas…_

Then the troubled Nobody heard footsteps coming towards him- tense and worried it might be another strong enemy, he braced himself. _My body's still weak… if it breaks into a fight… I may have to run for it._ "Who's there!?" he cried out, frowning in concern. Then his eyes widened, seeing a familiar blonde running towards him. "C-Cinderella!? Are you okay!?"

Cinderella gasped for a bit of breath, shaking her head. "N-no… Whoever you are, please… Help that young woman! She's fighting some… some monster all by herself- she might die from any wounds she takes while I ran!"

"Calm down, she'll be fine. You get into the mansion, I'll see what I can-" Roxas stopped when he saw Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia at the door… Darkness was surrounding their bodies and he could feel it spiking. "... On second thought, that might not be safe either…" He glared as he pushed Cinderella behind him. "What do you three want?"

The three of them were singed, and they scowled, Lady Tremaine pointing at Cinderella. "Give me that _scullery maid_ right now, young man! If you cause trouble, we'll be forced to take care of you as well!"

"No! Not if you're going to treat her so badly!" Roxas snapped, clenching his fist angrily. "She doesn't belong with you anymore, she's now a princess! I won't let you ruin her happy ending!" He summoned his Kingdom Keyblade.

Anastasia scowled, crossing her arms in irritation. "Hmph- such a ruffian! Mother, what're we going to do?!" Lady Tremaine merely pointed at the boy. "...Are you really insisting we use… _those_?"

"You're going to use the power of darkness, made from your jealousy, to take Cinderella back by any means aren't you? Well you're going to have to get through me to do it." Roxas glared, getting into a battle ready stance.

Cinderella, who was still behind him, said nervously, "Oh please don't hurt them…"

Roxas sighed, shaking his head softly. "I'm sorry, I promise I won't destroy them, but I can't stop this fight or they'll make your life much more miserable than it was before. Do you really want to go back? To be denied for a chance of your dream?"

"W-well no, but…" She hesitated as if not knowing what to say.

"Then let me handle them. You stay in those bushes where it's safe, I'll do what I can to keep your dream alive." Roxas said to her, determination filling him. _Even if I can't make my own dream come true, I'll do what I can to help someone worthwhile with theirs!_

"Then you leave us no choice, foolish boy." Lady Tremaine glared as the darkness around her and her daughters spiked even more, surrounding the three as if fusing with them.

Roxas frowned, spinning his Keyblade around his hand absently. "Same here…" He moved first, charging at Lady Tremaine herself and slashing at her with his Keyblade.

To his shock, his Keyblade seemed to hit a barrier! Roxas frowned as he jumped back, seeing the darkness that had covered them fade enough to see what happened. Drizella and Anastasia were literally two heads in one body while Lady Tremaine was… on their back. The Nobody frowned at this. _They… Axel wasn't kidding when he said Jealousy can create such an ugly monster… I guess the darkness created from their jealousy fused them together to make this deformed creature._

Lady Tremaine seemed to be the brains in this, as she was shooting dark energy beams at him continuously, leaving him little to no room to attack without getting hit. _Ugh, it's hard to get in, and they have a barrier around them, how am I supposed to get past that?_

Roxas frowned, spinning his Keyblade nervously- he knew he had to do something though, and so he tested his magic. "Fire!" He forced some fire energy to shoot out of his Keyblade, and to his shock, it hit Lady Tremaine! _So magic can get through the barrier huh? … But I'll tire myself at this rate, there must be another way… My body is still recovering from that near death, so I shouldn't push myself… Not without Elixers or Potions…_

The young Nobody jumped and decided to try his luck with a Shotlock, he remembered doing it before against Dragon Maleficent, but his head was too busy being invaded with memories that he couldn't concentrate that well. Hoping he'll do better this time, Roxas took aim at the evil stepmother before firing some light energies, managing to shoot out dozens of them, but he had trouble keeping a proper lock on her since he was not yet used to the new Shotlocks.

Roxas got lucky, though, and most of the Shotlocks hit Lady Tremaine, forcing her to drop the barrier. Unfortunately for him, the two stepsisters perked up and charged him, beginning to slap him back and forth!

"Ow!" It seems as soon as the barrier was down, these two would attack him relentlessly! Roxas tried to whack away their hands with his Keyblade, but having to parry against four fast slapping hands proved to be too difficult for just one Keyblade. Roxas hissed as he used some of Thunder's magic to electrocute the Keyblade, so as soon as the two sisters touched it, it zapped their hands and caused them to temporarily be paralyzed.

Seeing his chance, Roxas began attacking them in a combo frenzy, using some basic light magic to cause extra damage. But it didn't take long for the three to recover, and both stepsisters pushed him back as Lady Tremaine renewed her barrier. The Nobody groaned at this, realizing it was one of THOSE rinse and repeat battles, how he hated those.

Roxas grumbled, resisting the urge to begin whaling on them like he was used to. _I can't use magic or Shotlocks forever- there has to be something… but _what_? There's not much I can do!_

"I can help you!" The boy blinked, hearing Cinderella's sudden call as she rushed over to him.

"What?" He looked over at her, frowning in confusion. "No offense or anything, but how can you help me?"

"Please… use some of my powers to free them from their darkness." Cinderella begged.

Roxas blinked before smiling- he remembered that Cinderella was one of the Princesses of Hearts, meaning she was full of light… and if he could utilize her light with his Keyblade… he should be able to break the dark barrier! "Thanks Cinderella!" He took her hand and channeled some of her light into his Keyblade before firing a bright light at the dark shield, immediately shattering it!

Lady Tremaine yelled in pain, and the two sisters instantly started slapping both Roxas and Cinderella. Roxas growled in irritation, but he swung the Keyblade, which was still full of light energy. "Take that!" The light energy seemed to be burning the two sisters when their hands touched it.

"Cinderella! Take cover!" Roxas quickly yelled to the young maiden, who nodded and hurried back to the bushes. "Here goes…" He jumped and began slashing away at them once more.

Lady Tremaine, deciding not to use the barrier this time, went an all out offense with her magic. She began firing beams of darkness at Roxas, who was hit as he wasn't expecting it! "Ugh…" Roxas fell to the floor in pain, his body was still injured from his previous fight.

"Please… get up!" he heard Cinderella call to him. Roxas gritted his teeth, slowly standing up and using his Keyblade as a crutch.

"HEAL!" Roxas held up his Keyblade and used it to help him used Cura on himself- he didn't have enough energy for Curaga, but Cura was enough to help him get back on his feet. Of course he didn't have time to rest, for as soon as he was back on his feet, Lady Tremaine let out a screech of anger, sending out more dark beams at him! Roxas quickly used Dodge Roll, trying to stay out of the way and hope she would tire out soon so he could get in to attack.

Unfortunately for the Nobody, it wouldn't be that simple, because even though Lady Tremaine did tire out eventually, the two sisters began moving around quickly, making it hard to hit them, and whenever he got close, they would push him away.

Roxas growled in irritation, before Cinderella rushed out and held out her hand. "Roxas, here!" she cried out, waving one hand towards him.

"Thanks!" Roxas took her hand and utilized her light once more, he fire a bright beam of light at them, causing the sisters to yell in pain and stunned them. Roxas, seeing his chance, quickly charged at them and noticed Lady Tremaine's chest was starting to glow a little bit, that's when he realized what he had to do to free them from the darkness their jealousy created. The Nobody focused on his Keyblade until it began to glow brightly and he jumped at Lady Tremaine and stabbed her with his glowing Keyblade!

Roxas gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as a bright light emerged from the newly opened wound in Lady Tremaine's chest. However, it soon faded to reveal all 3 women were laying on the ground, unconscious. Thankfully they didn't appear to be hurt and they were no longer fused together.

* * *

Roxas panted, immediately dismissing his Keyblade and fell to the ground in exhaustion. Cinderella was checking on the three before seeing him on the ground, and she quickly rushed over to him. "A-are you okay?"

"Just… tired… Listen… they'll be… fine. Just let them… rest for a while." Roxas said to her gently, trying to catch his breath. "Hurry… get them inside… and… wait for… Aqua to come back… okay?"

"What about you? You're hurt…" Cinderella said, still concerned for him.

"Don't… worry about me. I'm used… to this." Roxas assured her as he sat up. "Now hurry."

"A-alright." Cinderella frowned a bit, but she hesitantly nodded as she headed back to the three.

Roxas, still wanting to go through with his plan to convince Aqua Ventus was not corrupted, he weakly forced himself to stand up. He summoned his Kingdom Key again and, using both hands, lifted it over his head to cast Cure on himself.

"V-Ven!?" Unfortunately it seems Aqua decided to come right when he was trying to heal himself.

Roxas groaned to himself, but he slowly turned back to her. "...Heh- not quite…" He smirked under his cloak, trying to act like Vanitas. "Tell me… have you heard anything about two boys, split in half- one light, one dark?"

"What? Could such a thing happen?" Aqua frowned, blinking in confusion.

"It_ is_ possible to do it though… You've heard about a name called Vanitas before, right?" Roxas asked her, trying to sound intimidating.

Aqua blinked a bit, confused. "...No, not really…" She frowned, shaking her head. "W-what's this about, Ven? Just… why are you trying to lie so much to me?"

"I'm not lying to you, moron." Aqua winced at the name calling, and Roxas chuckled darkly. "Can't you tell the difference between your precious Ventus and someone else?" Roxas snapped at her. "Ventus is of pure light, while I'm pure darkness, hence the Corridor of Darkness I used."

"..." Aqua's eyes widened, finally getting it. "Wait… you're not…?" she weakly asked. "Y-you're…" She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"That's right… I'm Ventus's darkness, Vanitas, created by that fool Xehanort himself. You were foolish to be tricked by the oldest trick in the book. It's only too bad, I'm sure Ventus would be thrilled to hear you mistook him for someone else." Roxas said, sneering under his cloak. "Well, whatever- my work here is done anyway." With that, he turned and walked away, too tired to summon the Corridor of Darkness. _I sure hope that worked…_

As soon as Roxas was out of sight, he quickly took off his cloak and winced at all the injuries he had on him. _Geez… I got hit a lot, didn't I? Ugh… Aqua's gonna kill me if she sees me like this! I have to get a Potion or something… _He frowned, looking around for a Moogle shop.

"Where's Roxas?" said boy heard Aqua called. "Roxas! ROXAS! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Ugh… Why does this always happen to me?" Roxas groaned, rubbing the temples of his head. Before he could move, Aqua already found him. _What, does she have some kind of radar on me!?_

Aqua gasped a second time, her eyes wide in fear. "R-Roxas!" She quickly rushed over to him, looking the poor boy over. "W-what happened to you!? I asked you to stay here- how'd you get hurt so badly?! O-oh dear… Um…" She began frantically going through a bag she had, pulling out a Hi-Potion. "Drink this!"

Before Roxas could protest, Aqua already had the Hi-Potion in his mouth. The boy grimaced at the bitter taste. As soon as she took the Hi-Potion out of his mouth, he said, looking at her curiously, "I'm sorry Aqua, but Lady Tremaine, Drizella and Anastasia attacked me and Cinderella. I think they kinda went insane on us, any idea why?"

Aqua winced, feeling awful. "I… I think so- the jealousy in their hearts became complete darkness… Roxas, we need to find some kind of weapon for you- at least to defend yourself!" She began fussing over him once more. "And some armor, maybe… Hmm…"

Roxas just sat down on the ground- despite the Hi-Potion, he was still exhausted and hurt. "Let's just… take a small break before we leave this world, okay?"

Before Aqua could answer, Cinderella came running towards them. "Oh good, you're both safe. I was so worried… After you went to fight that evil pumpkin…" Then she looked at Roxas. "And you protected me and freed my stepmother and stepsisters from their darkness…"

It was then Aqua blinked and looked at Roxas in confusion, who gave a nervous chuckle, shaking his head. "O-oh, must not have been me… I blacked out for the most it." he quickly said. _Dang it, Cinderella!_

The blonde maiden blinked in confusion, slowly shaking her head. "But it was you… You looked just like this- just with a black cloak instead… so why…?"

"Wait… _Vanitas_ protected you and saved them from their own darkness?" Aqua said in confusion, crossing her arms in thought.

"I-I didn't get his name, but… I was sure it was_ him_." Cinderella said with a confused frown, looking at Roxas. "See? He looks tired and injured from that fight."

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't in that fight. They knocked me out before you got there." Roxas said lightly. He shrugged, despite the glint in Aqua's eyes reappearing. "Sorry… guess you didn't see me- I woke up around here…"

"Oh… then I apologize for the confusion." Cinderella said, bowing. "If you see that boy in the black coat, please thank him for me. And I thank you too, Aqua."

Aqua frowned in thought, slowly nodding. "Yeah… you're welcome…" She was still staring at Roxas, thinking to herself. "...Come on, Cinderella- let's bring you to the castle…"

"Oh, no, it's okay. The duke is going to take me there himself." Cinderella said with a smile as she gestured to a very fancy looking carriage. "I just came here to thank you for saving me and my step family."

Roxas sighed as he stood up, stretching a bit. "That's great… because we have to get going too, right Aqua?"

Aqua frowned, and she slowly shook her head. "Well… why don't we watch the two of them reunite first?" She smiled a bit. _It's going to be sweet to see…_

"Sure, I guess, if you want to stick around for the wedding." The Nobody shrugged, to him it just meant more time to rest and think of an excuse for any questions Aqua may have.

But when Roxas looked over at the carriage, he saw the Prince was already in there as if he was waiting for her. The Prince ran over to Cinderella, picked her up and twirled her in happiness. The Nobody couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, knowing he had helped the Princess of Hearts to fulfill her own dream. "... Well… I think we're done here, Aqua."

Aqua glanced over at them, giving a small smile herself. "...Yeah… I suppose so…" Then she glanced at the Nobody beside her. "Roxas… If you were hiding something… would you tell me?"

"Hmm? Why would you ask me that, Aqua?" Roxas asked her, getting a little uneasy at the sudden question. _W-what, did she figure it out?_

Aqua just frowned a bit worriedly, looking at him seriously. "Please… Just give me a yes or no… I-I'd rather have you be honest about it now rather than later…"

Roxas frowned… He didn't want to tell her 'no', but he didn't want to lie and say 'yes' either, how was he supposed to answer her? "Is this about Ven again? You don't know much about me, Aqua, it's not really easy to have to tell you _everything _about myself."

Aqua looked away, sniffling slightly. "I-I guess.. Sorry, Roxas- I just…" She trailed off, still not looking at him.

"Hey, it's okay Aqua, I know you're just worried for me. Come on, let's get out of this world, I'm sure our friends are waiting for us." Roxas said with an assuring smile towards the blue haired Keyblade Master. "And… I have a thing or two to say to my look alike, Ventus."

Aqua blinked, looking at him with slightly teary eyes. "...What do you mean?" She frowned worriedly. "A-are you going to attack him or something?"

"No, no, of course not Aqua! I just meant I wanted to ask him why he just ran off like that when we last saw him." Roxas quickly said before frowning. "... You'd… really think I would attack him?"

Aqua winced, quickly correcting her statement. "N-no, no, of course not! It's just…" She hesitated. "...I thought you would be angry with him for doing that… and that you'd…" She sighed, trailing off.

"But Aqua, I can't even fight. You saw what happened to me before… I only wanted to talk to him. Besides, if I attacked him, Ven would just shove that Keyblade in my face, not very comfortable if you ask me." Roxas sighed, shaking his head.

Aqua sighed, glancing down. "I-I know…" she started to say. "But I…" She stopped herself there, shaking her head. "Let's… just get back on track, alright Roxas?"

Roxas nodded as Aqua pushed her armor, and in a flash of light, it came on. She summoned her Keyblade Glider and held onto Roxas so some of her armor could get on him as they fly into the Realms Between. Roxas just watched nonchalantly as they were flying through… But he was not at all expecting it when an Unversed suddenly tackled the Glider!

"WAH!" The armored Nobody yelped as the Glider flipped, causing him to fall like with what happened with Terra. "NOT AGAAAAAIN!" he cried out, the armor flying off him as he quickly summoned a Corridor of Darkness to escape, but not before hearing Aqua screaming his name.

"NO! ROXAS!" she desperately cried out, resisting the urge to jump off her Keyblade Glider and go after him. "_ROXAS_!"

Roxas was falling, just like last time, and wasn't sure what world he's going to end up in. He felt light… then he became heavier and heavier until… he landed on something hard! "Ugh… ow…" _I have GOT to learn to land on my feet!_

* * *

Rolling around, the Nobody discovered he landed on the rough ground… And looking up, he could see he was in some kind of badlands, not much is out here. _Where am I? This place looks more empty than The World That Never Was. _Then he frowned, slowly standing up. _Wait… isn't this… where Terra and I found Xehanort?_

Roxas stood up, looking around thoughtfully. _I wonder if… Xehanort's still here… If he is, I'd better hightail it out of here before he finds me again._ He was about to summon a Corridor of Darkness before his sensitive ears caught the sound of metal clashing… Two people were fighting? Out HERE?

Frowning and curious, the Nobody ran to where he heard the fighting, but he stopped and hid behind a rock when he saw them moving around. It wasn't until he stuck his head out to see… Vanitas and Ventus battling it out. Roxas's eyes widened in shock… Ven didn't stand a chance against Vanitas! This proved true as Vanitas easily knocked Ven back and to the ground.

"Hmph- pathetic." The masked boy scoffed, kicking Ven in the stomach. "Get up- you're not done yet, are you? If you are, you're still too soft to ever save your precious friend Terra!" Ven could only groan in pain. "So weak… If only you were more like Roxas, then this would be so much more fun. Oh well, too bad- I'd be going against the Master's orders, but you're too weak to be a part of this anymore."

Roxas gasped as he saw Vanitas was about to finish off Ven for good, and he was about to go into there and stop him, but suddenly, a black blur ran past him and grabbed Ven, barely getting him out of Vanitas's dark lightning's way! "Huh? Was that…?" He blinked, looking over in confusion.

"Don't worry, you're safe!" It was… a mouse? Roxas frowned, that squeaky voice sounded very familiar… Before he could think about it, though, the mouse summoned a Keyblade himself! "Heal!" He cast Curaga on Ven, healing the injured look alike.

Ven groaned a bit, looking up at the mouse in confusion. "W… wha?" He frowned, slowly standing up. "Who… who are you?"

"I'm Mickey." the mouse claimed, smiling at him before glaring at the masked boy. "You there! Keyblades are not meant for bullying others!"

Roxas blinked… Where have he heard that name before? He can't seem to remember, even though he and Terra saw this mouse before when they were at Yen Sid's castle. _Hmm… Should I join in the fight too? But… if I do, Ven will see me use a Keyblade, and if I go in with the coat, they may see me as a suspicious entity and it would be the same thing with Aqua all over again!_

Vanitas growled in frustration before he noticed a bit of color sticking out in a nearby rock and he began smirking under his mask. "Heh… Oh really, pipsqueak? And what makes you think you can stop _me_?"

"We're going to try! You're not going to bad mouth Terra ever again! And how do you know about Roxas!?" Ven snapped at him.

"Oh? You mean you don't know? Didn't you know that Roxas kid can actually put up a decent fight, unlike you?" Vanitas sneered, crossing his arms cockily.

Ven paused at that, blinking in confusion. "W-what're you talking about? Roxas doesn't even have a Keyblade!" He quickly shook his head, preparing to attack. "And he didn't last very long in our spar!"

Vanitas laughed at that, waving a finger in the air. "Tsk tsk, silly Ventus- do you really think a _smart_ opponent would go all out on a wimp like you? He probably just faked it to make you feel better!"

"What?" Ven frowned, looking down. "I… he wouldn't…" he paused, beginning to think.

"Enough! We're not here to talk about someone else!" Mickey snapped.

"If you were half as decent as Roxas, I wouldn't need to be laughing at how easy this is!" Vanitas laughed.

Roxas glared as he grabbed his coat, he had had it with Vanitas, if he keeps blurting out his secret like this, it's only a matter of time until Ventus starts believing him! Putting his hood on to hide his face, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper into his hand and jumped out from behind the rock, immediately firing a Firaga fireball at him!

The masked boy chuckled, easily dodging the giant fireball as if it was a tiny golf ball. "And here's the boy of the hour himself! As you can tell, he knows more magic than _you_, little Ventus…"

"I'm not Roxas." Roxas said, sounding so calm it was eerie. "I'm someone from the dark." he said darkly as he slowly walked towards them. _Because if I say I'm Nobody, obviously they'll connect it back to me… I shouldn't use that line from now on, really! _"And you're going to _pay_…"

Vanitas merely scoffed, pulling out his Keyblade. "Oh really? You'd better bring some power then, 'someone from the dark.' TAKE THAT, LOSER!" He let loose a Dark Thunder, and Roxas twitched slightly.

The hooded boy quickly jumped out of the way as Ven and Mickey ran over to him. Roxas sighed, wishing they had just left him alone and just attacked Vanitas. "We have a strong enemy, why did you come over to me?"

Ven frowned, looking at the hooded Nobody suspiciously. "...Who _are_ you? I… can't help but feel like you're not as dark as you say you are!"

"Can you sense darkness through someone's heart then?" Roxas asked him, frowning a bit. _If he can… this isn't going to be easy._

Ven hesitated, though, slowly shaking his head. "W-well… no, but- WAH!" He yelped, barely dodging a swipe from Vanitas's Void Gear.

"Then shut up and fight!" Roxas yelled angrily at his look alike before casting Aeroaga around Ven, himself and Mickey.

Roxas made to dive at Vanitas- remembering how strong this guy was, he couldn't afford to pull any punches, just that he couldn't summon Oblivion or he'd risk being exposed. He managead to combo Vanitas with two hits, but then he seemed to suddenly disappear before reappearing above Roxas and slashed at his head! "Too slow!"

"Gah!" Roxas hissed but quickly recovered- thanks to Areoaga, the damage didn't hurt as much as it would've. "Deep freeze!" he shot out Blizzaraga at Vanitas, hoping to freeze his feet and slow him down.

The masked boy merely disappeared again, though, and when he reappeared behind Ventus's head, he suddenly grabbed the blond by the neck! "Heh… you're just as good as I remember, if not better. But frankly, you have the odds stacked in your favor… How about we change them, hmm?"

"Wah!? Let him go!" Roxas demanded. _W-what the heck is he doing with Ven!?_ he nervously thought to himself._ This doesn't seem good… If Ven's Vanitas's light side…! No… don't tell me he could manipulate Ven's body- he couldn't, could he?_

Mickey came charging up and whacked at Vanitas, who easily dodged him. "Stop, what are you going to do with him!?" His ears twitched nervously as Vanitas laughed darkly.

"You don't get it, do you?" Ven's eyes began to dull over as Vanitas explained. "I'm going to change one of the players in our little match… You want to help Ventus, Mickey Mouse? Well then, attack Roxas!"

"What!?" Mickey frowned, looking at the hooded Nobody. "W-what do you mean by that!?"

"I told you, I'm not Roxas! And that's just cowardly, Vanitas, using Ven as a meat shield and have one of us turn against the other." Roxas hissed angrily.

Vanitas merely laughed darkly. "Heh- if you don't care about Ventus, then it shouldn't bother you. But it does, doesn't it… _Roxas_?"

"Why do you keep calling me that!?" the Nobody yelled, growing more and more irritated with the masked boy.

"Let… let me go!" Ven snapped, struggling to escape from from Vanitas's grip.

"Quiet, idiot, you're going to be useful to me after all." Vanitas smirked from under the mask. "You may not have realized it, but… this is going to be a wonderful partnership…"

Roxas and Mickey glared, both wanting to save Ven. They began charging at Vanitas together, before he swung Ventus around to both of them and they paused. Roxas gritted his teeth, glancing at Mickey. "...Do you want to attack from the back?"

"Don't have to tell me twice." Mickey said as he backflipped behind Vanitas… who disappeared as soon as Mickey swung his Keyblade.

Roxas hissed before jumping and gliding through the air, seeing Vanitas before firing a Thunder attack at his hand, trying to get him to release Ven. Thankfully though, it managed to hit his arm and he released Ventus with a grunt of pain.

Thinking fast, Roxas dived and parried Vanitas's Keyblade, keeping him from getting to Ven again. "No! I won't allow you to take him again." he hissed, his face inches away from the masked boy's.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Vanitas sneered, pushing as hard as he could against the Nobody.

"Fight you!" Roxas snapped as he pushed Vanitas back, who jumped and began firing Dark Thunder around him! "Ven! Get up! Hurry!" Roxas shouted as he began Dodge Rolling, trying to get out of the way.

The look alike groaned but quickly Dodge Rolled himself just before he could hit him too. Mickey was relieved to see the two were able to dodge as Vanitas landed, but… Vanitas quickly went underground!

"What the!?" Roxas frowned, seeing the dark glow on the ground that was Vanitas was coming right at Ven! "Ven! Look out!"

"W-wha?!" Ven blinked in confusion, before Vanitas suddenly erupted from the ground and grabbed the blond boy again. "GAH!"

"You might as well just have Ven fight with us if you keep doing that!" Roxas snapped, losing his patience.

Vanitas merely laughed darkly. "Heh… I'm almost done…" Suddenly, he just let Ventus go. "Here you go- a new playmate, Roxas. Go ahead… Attack him."

"What? What did you-" Roxas's eyes widened when he felt parts of Vanitas's darkness in Ven, not in his heart but in his head. When Ventus looked up, his eyes were dull, like they were in a trance. "V-Ven?"

"What's he done to you?" Mickey yelled, looking the look alike over worriedly, but to no response.

"Let's see if you have what it takes to take on both me and Ven!" Vanitas laughed as he disappeared and was suddenly in front of Roxas, who was caught off guard and was hit back into a rock with his Keyblade!

"Gah!" Roxas yelled as he fell to the ground, injured. _I'm… still weak from fighting those witches, how am I supposed to compete like this?!_

"Are you okay?" He heard Mickey call for him before he looked up to see Mickey trying to attack Vanitas, only for Ven to get in his way, stopping the mouse from attacking.

Roxas weakly stood up, panting tiredly. _Ugh… Vanitas is already tough as it is… Now that he's got Ven on his side, this is even worse since we don't want to hurt him!_

Roxas ran with his Oathkeeper in hand, ready to strike. Vanitas shot off Dark Thunder at him, and Roxas blocked before jumping, slashing at Vanitas. Unfortunately for him, Ven quickly jumped too and hit Roxas from behind! Roxas groaned, but he turned around and managed to push Ven off him- however, this distracted him from Vanitas.

The masked boy instantly took the chance and he slashed at Roxas, forcing the Nobody up into the air. "Too easy!" he taunted, jumping up into the air and slashing at Roxas again and again before forcing him to the ground.

The Nobody couldn't do much since he was still badly injured and tired from his previous fight, not getting a lot of rest. Usually in the Organization, he could rest after his missions were complete, but here it's been one thing after another.

"Come on, you were so much stronger last time, I'm disappointed." Vanitas said in what sounded like annoyance.

Mickey suddenly came out of nowhere and slashed at Vanitas. "Heal!" He quickly casted Curaga on Roxas, healing the tired boy enough for him to get on his feet.

"Thanks." Roxas said to the mouse with a small nod, grateful to have a good ally on his side. "I needed that…"

"I don't know who you are, but… we need to free Ven before we can face Vanitas." Mickey said to him, clenching his fist determinedly.

Roxas nodded in agreement, "I know, but how?" Then he blinked, seeing Mickey hold out a hand to him. "...Uh, what're you doing?" he awkwardly asked.

Mickey shrugged, smiling. "Let's work together- you keep Vanitas distracted, and I'll see if the Keyblade can do any good!"

"Right, let's do this!" Roxas took Mickey's hand and the two of them began circling each other, firing off light energy as Shotlocks at both Vanitas and Ven, separating the two apart. When both were a decent length from each other, Roxas shot at Vanitas using his new Shotlock while Mickey went for Ven.

Vanitas laughed, easily dodging Roxas's Shotlock although he winced at the light. "What, you think that could stop me? You really have grown weak, Roxas- I should have expected more from you!"

"For the last time, I'm NOT ROXAS!" the Nobody yelled as he slashed down on Vanitas, his anger making his attack more powerful. "What do you want with Ventus anyway? You're his dark side, so what would happen if you killed your original self?"

Vanitas scoffed, easily pushing Roxas back. "What makes you care, Roxas? Or are YOU related to his wellbeing as well?" He laughed sarcastically. "Imagine- the two of us coming from _that_ weakling!"

"What? You think _I_ come from Ventus!?" Roxas snapped, slashing at him, but the two Keyblades CLASHED, both trying to push back against each other. The two Keyblade Wielders were now face to face with each other, both their Keyblades being pushed against the other. "That's nothing but a joke, Vanitas!"

The masked boy smirked, stomping on Roxas's foot, who yelped and groaned in pain. "Oh really? Then why care so much about him? Hmm? Don't lie to me! It's not mere coincidence that you look and sound exactly like him, Roxas."

"What makes you think I'm Roxas? And I'm not connected to Ventus in any way!" Roxas snapped. "I don't know why I look and sound just like him, but I know where I come from and it's not with Ventus!"

Vanitas laughed, pushing Roxas away while the boy nursed his foot a tiny bit. "Oh really? You just admitted it, Roxas- thank you for no longer shouting out your lies about your identity!"

"I didn't- ugh! Will you just shut up!? I'm not Roxas and I'm not connected with Ven!" Roxas snapped, losing his patience as he held up Oathkeeper. "THUNDER!" A powerful lightning strike hit at Vanitas, and he grunted in pain. "Just stop talking about connections that aren't real!"

Vanitas chuckled darkly, slowly standing up. "Fine… if you aren't Roxas… then I guess there's no reason for me to not destroy you." He suddenly disappeared, and Roxas looked around right before the masked boy slammed his Keyblade down on the Nobody from overhead!

"Ugh!" Roxas yelled as he was thrown into another rock. "... I'm surprised… I'm not dead yet…" He used his Keyblade as his crutch as he slowly stood up. Glancing up to his opponent, he saw Vanitas teleporting right in front of him, but he didn't hesitate to lift himself with his Keyblade still on the ground, avoiding Vanitas's attack before kicking the masked boy in the face, knocking him back. "HEAL!" Roxas quickly cast Cura on himself.

Before Roxas could charge at Vanitas again, though, he was suddenly tackled by Ven! "Ugh… Ven!" It seems Mickey hadn't been able to free him yet. "Ven, please! Stop this!"

The blond-haired boy ignored his look-alike, grabbing his hood and began pulling at it. Roxas gasped as he kicked Ven's gut to get him off. "STOP!" Ven groaned he was kicked off, but Ven had seen Roxas's face before the boy kicked him, it was enough to bring him to his senses.

"R-Roxas?" But then his head began hurting, because Vanitas was still trying to control him. "Ugh!"

"V-Ven…" Roxas slowly stood up and he felt his Keyblade glowing in his hand. Blinking, Roxas decided to let Oathkeeper guide him as he held it up at Ven, who was grabbing his head, and as soon as he did, a beam of light shot into Ven's head! Roxas's eyes widened in shock. "W-what the heck!?" He squinted to see, blinded by his own Keyblade's light.

When the light finally faded, Roxas could see Ventus slowly stood up, panting a bit. "..." He looked at Roxas, his eyes still wide, but thankfully not dull. "R-Roxas… you…?"

Roxas shook his head, thankfully the hood was still up. "No, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"Fellas! I could use some help over here!" Mickey yelled as he was trying to block Vanitas's fast and merciless strikes.

Roxas and Ventus both gasped, before they nodded at each other. "You go left, I go right?" the boy with a heart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, why not." The hooded boy nodded, standing up and brushing himself off slightly.

The two 'twins' ran at opposite directions and they came at both sides at Vanitas. They managed to hit him, but Vanitas left an illusion clone of himself before suddenly appearing above and slashed down at them. "Too slow!"

Roxas and Ven jumped back as Vanitas began shooting dark balls everywhere! Mickey jumped away as Roxas quickly began Dodge Rolling, trying to get out of the way. Ven was following Roxas's example as he began Dodge Rolling too. When Vanitas finally stopped, Roxas didn't hesitate to go in and strike! Ven, seeing the opportunity himself, joined the hooded Nobody in comboing the masked boy. Mickey jumped in and striked as well.

Vanitas was a little overwhelmed, but he quickly managed to teleport behind them and fire hit dark Shotlocks at them. Roxas quickly blocked, since trying to dodge a homing attack would be next to impossible, but he wasn't fast enough to block all of them and he got hit a few times, causing him to hiss in pain. _I'm still weak from all those hits…! I need to find some way to rest, and fast…_ he thought to himself, groaning a bit.

Ven frowned in concern, glancing at Roxas. _I hope Roxas can withstand those attacks…!_ he thought to himself, but he also blocked each of the dark Shotlocks with relative ease, getting hit once or twice himself.

Mickey was using Reflect, so he was able to avoid injury at the cost of some of his magic. The three Keyblade Wielders were still coming at Vanitas though, but Roxas was tired, he was staggering a bit. The masked boy took noticed of the weakened Nobody, and he laughed a bit.

"Ha- you all come at me with everything you have, and it still isn't enough! What's wrong, Roxas- haven't told everybody your little secret? I guess you can't recover enough of your energy to be any stronger than your weak copy!"

Roxas glared from under his hood, growling in irritation. "Shut up! Stop talking like you know me! I'm not Roxas! I don't know a Roxas!" He felt his anger rising once more, just like it did against Xehanort. "I'm ME! Not Ventus, not Roxas, NOT ANYBODY BUT MYSELF!"

"Well if you're not Roxas, then who are you?" Vanitas asked him, crossing his arms cockily.

Roxas stopped at that, his anger draining as he realized what he just said… or rather yelled. _Wait no… I AM Roxas, I just… ugh…_ "Enough of your mind games!" The Nobody frowned when he noticed Ven and Mickey were looking curiously at him. "Don't take your eyes off the enemy." he scolded, still angry at Vanitas's mocking.

Ven frowned a bit, but he nodded, glancing back at Vanitas. "You've got it, Roxas!" He held up his Keyblade, ignoring Roxas's groan.

_Why does he- oh, nevermind, I'll have to deal with that later._ Roxas thought to himself before he decided to do a little trick… The Nobody pierced the ground with his Oathkeeper before he lifted himself and then sliding right into Vanitas! This actually caught the fast masked boy off guard and made him trip, allowing Ven and Mickey to slash him!

Vanitas hit the ground, but he laughed, quickly regaining his footing. "HAHAHAHA! So you CAN put up a decent fight somewhat." The masked boy suddenly made the Corridor of Darkness behind him. "You win again… for now. Consider yourself on probation, Ventus…" And with that, he backed into it before disappearing, leaving the three alone.

* * *

Ven sighed in relief before turning to Roxas, crossing his arms in irritation. "Roxas… why are you wearing that cloak?" He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, it doesn't look like you at all!" Roxas blinked at that, and he opened his mouth to object, but Ventus continued to speak, steamrolling over the Nobody's attempt to stop him. "And for that matter, since when could you wield a Keyblade? You never told me that!"

"Weren't you listening to me? I said I'm not this Roxas person everyone keeps calling me!" the Nobody said in annoyance. "I don't know why everyone insists on calling me that!" Then he blinked, seeing Ven shake his head in amusement. "...What is it?"

The blond haired look alike merely grinned at Roxas. "...You don't get it, do you?" Roxas frowned in confusion at that. "C'mon- guess how I know. It's pretty cool, actually!"

Mickey walked up to them, frowning in confusion. "So wait, are you Roxas or not?"

"I'm NOT! And I don't know why this kid here keeps calling me that!" Roxas snapped, glaring in irritation. "I don't want to guess because I'm sure whatever you think you saw was just in your moment of being controlled!"

Ven shrugged, still grinning. "Sure, that's what made it positive… But c'mon Roxas, stop playing- your heart gave it away easily!" Roxas's eyes widened at that, and he took a tiny step back. "...Roxas? What's wrong?"

"N-no, that's impossible…" Roxas murmured to himself before straightening up and looking straight at Ventus. "Because I don't _have _a heart…"

Ven blinked at that, before frowning in confusion. "What? Sure you do- it's right here!" He poked at Roxas's chest. "I dunno why, but ever since we first met, I could just _sense_ when it was you- I don't know how that cloak of yours fooled me this long, really!"

Roxas looked away as Ven reached for his hood, the Nobody didn't bother to move… what was the point? He couldn't deny himself from this kid- for some reason he could sense he was Roxas, and no matter what the Nobody said, Ven would not be persuaded otherwise. Ven soon removed the hood from the future boy's face, revealing his whole head and surprising Mickey at how much the two looked alike.

The blond boy in front of Roxas smiled, before giving Roxas a big hug. "There we go- ya see?" He pulled back from the hug, shrugging. "Was it really that hard? I still don't see the big deal- it's _awesome_ that you have a Keyblade, really!"

Roxas looked down at his hand, seeing Oathkeeper was still there. The Nobody sighed as he sadly replied, "There's… a reason why I didn't want you to know, Ventus…" Ven blinked at that before Roxas looked up at Ventus, a serious look in his eyes.

Ven frowned in confusion, looking Roxas over. "What, is it because of the cloak? I don't really see the issue- it looks okay on you, after all! What's the problem, Roxas? Why… didn't you want me to know?"

"It's not just you that I didn't want finding out." Roxas said, his voice full of both sadness and tiredness. "I meant what I said before… I'm an outsider. Meaning, I don't belong here, nor should I be able to wield a Keyblade. In showing you, I just caused a chain of events that could greatly impact… the future. You, Aqua, Terra… anyone here really, weren't supposed to know… hence why I acted like I did when we first met. And… I didn't think it wouldn't mattered much to you since… I'm not really a part of your circle of friends, Ventus…"

Ven blinked in surprise, before his eyes softened. Roxas frowned in confusion at that, before his look alike hugged him! "Roxas…" he murmured softly. "I don't know why you think that… but you _are_ one of my friends… When you disappeared on the dwarf's world… I nearly lost it- I looked _everywhere_ for you…!"

"Well… I don't know… you didn't seem to care that much when you saw me again in Maleficent's castle." Roxas said with a small frown. Ven winced at that, looking down. "...What is it?"

Ven sighed, glancing up at Roxas. "I-I thought… Well… I thought you would be going with Aqua… I still need to find Terra- and being with Aqua was safer than with me… You disappeared with me, after all- if it had happened again, I… I don't think I would've been able to keep _looking_ for Terra…"

"Well... Aqua lost me too." Roxas said with a small hint of bitterness. "But it doesn't matter… at least I was able to come here and completely ruin everything."

"What? Why would you say tha-" Ven started to say, but Roxas interrupted him.

"Ven, please, you can't tell_ anyone_ that I can wield the Keyblade, especially to Terra and Aqua. They may not be as understanding as you." Roxas said, practically begging his look alike.

Ven frowned at that, but he sighed, slowly nodding. "Oh… Alright, fine…" Then he gave Roxas a small smile. "But now… maybe we can work together- you know, so you don't have to be alone?"

"I wasn't alone before…" Roxas said softly. "Just… in my battles…" He looked at his arm, rubbing it gently. "... And lately it feels like I've been in one tough battle after another with little to no rest…"

"That would explain it!" Mickey spoke up, nodding understandingly. "That would explain why you looked so tired and weak earlier!"

Ven frowned a bit, before he shrugged. "Well… I still need to find Terra… but we can go to another world, find a hotel- you know… Just take a nap for one day… If we both need it, then we need to slow down…"

Roxas sighed before dismissing his Keyblade, looking at Mickey in slight confusion. "... How did you get here, anyway?"

Mickey perked up, smiling. "Oh, well I got here by using this!" He took out a star shaped crystal from his pocket.

Ven and Roxas frowned in confusion, looking at it closer. "...What is it?" Ven finally asked. "It looks like… some kinda star, but other than that…"

"It's a transporter- it's called a Star Shard. I uh… sort of borrowed it from Master Yen Sid while he wasn't looking. Although… I can't seem to control it very well, it just seems to react whenever it wants to." Mickey frowned, looking it over before smiling at the two look alikes in front of him. "But hey, if it hadn't, I wouldn't have found ya fellas! I think maybe the Star Shard takes me where I _need_ to go."

Roxas crossed his arms, frowning in thought. "A Star Shard, huh… That's a new one on me…"

Ven nodded, crossing his arms thoughtfully as well. "Yeah, same here… I've never heard of those before- not from Master Eraqus, at least…"

Mickey smiled a bit before it suddenly shined brightly! "H-huh? WHOA!" The three of them were soon engulfed by the light!

* * *

**Key2DestNE: Well then, THAT just happened. *chuckles* I'd bet you didn't expect that sort of insanity to come from US, huh? ...Actually no, you probably did. *sweatdrops***

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah, the whole boss fight with Lady Tremaine and the two girls was also a surprise for us, but we didn't want Roxas fighting the same boss Aqua was, so we decided to have him fight with another Disney Villain- or should we say VillainS- that we didn't fight before in the series! And maybe we went a little overboard with their… ahem… design, but we think it's pretty fitting since they always say jealousy brings out the worst in people.**

**Key2DestNE: And considering how they act in the movies, their attacks worked just as well too!**

**DarkFoxKit: And this is probably one of our longest chapters. As you may notice, there seems to be a running trend with Roxas and Vanitas. And some of you may question why Vanitas was able to control Ven like he did. Well, the two of us think it's a possible power for him to be able to manipulate the mind of Ven, but only for a short time and when he's in contact with him, which also helps with the drama between Ventus and Roxas.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, and you'll have to wait and see if there's any other lasting effects from that little fight. Now then, on to the reviewers! Hmm… let's see, what other possible reviews might we get…? ...Oh- the in-game powers! A lot of you have been asking for Roxas to have a Shotlock. Well, this has all been pre-written, so we certainly aren't changing it now… but you'll have to wait and see about when- or even IF- he gets a Shotlock, a D-Link, or anything else from BBS.**

**DarkFoxKit: Why is everyone so obsessed with Roxas getting a Shotlock, anyway? I get that it's flashy and cool, but it's not like it's the greatest Keyblade power out there.**

**Key2DestNE: No, but you answered your own question. *deadpan* It's flashy and cool, and by now we've become a generation distracted by shiny obje- ooh, a penny!**

**DarkFoxKit: But it's not like you can actually SEE it! Oh nevermind, I'm just glad you guys enjoy it so much. Now we hadn't seen any complaints or questions other than Roxas getting a Shotlock, so that's all we really have to say for now. Leave your thoughts and comments in the review and don't be afraid to ask questions of the current chapters.**

**Key2DestNE: Seriously, ask questions, even silly-sounding ones! We can't fill up this AN with answers if we don't get questions in the first place!**


	8. Chapter 7: Struggles

**DarkFoxKit: Ahem… first of all… I like to apologize for updating a lot later than I usually do. See… we had some issues yesterday and forgot to do the AN in advanced, so I had to wait until the school day was over before we could update it.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, but on the bright side, we DID update on Monday, so we have that going for us!**

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah, we never gave a specific time we'd update, just on that day. Anyways… here's the next chapter, and yes, they're finally in Radiant Garden, with a surprise battle here for our dear little Roxas.**

**Key2DestNE: Hee hee~! *grins mischievously* Oh, poor Roxas- he has no idea what he's in for here!**

**DarkFoxKit: Anyways, we'll address the questions down below. We hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Struggles**

Roxas groaned as he found himself waking up in a flower bed this time… At least this time he didn't fall and hit the ground like before. The young Nobody began sitting up, realizing he was still wearing his coat. He looked around, frowning in confusion. "... Where… am I? … What happened to Mickey and Ven?" he didn't ask anyone in particular- he was just speaking out loud.

So it surprised him when a voice spoke up: "Yer in Radiant Garden, young man! Now get outta there before ya ruin the roses and make me buy new ones!" Roxas blinked in surprise, glancing up to see an elderly duck wearing expensive-looking clothes.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was your property sir!" Roxas quickly said as he jumped out of the flower bed, but he immediately fell back to his knee when he landed, his body was very sore. "Ugh…" _I seriously need to find a place to rest for a while… If I keep pushing my body like this, I could end up fading away. And if I do that while in the past… who knows what might happen!_

The elderly duck frowned in concern, walking over to him. "...Are you alright, laddie? You look like you've done more than a wee bit o' fighting…" he held out a hand- er, wing. "The name's Scrooge- Scrooge McDuck. If ya need a place to rest, I'll give ya a room for the night- but only 'cause I'd rather nobody died on my roses!"

"... That's very nice of you sir, but I can find a place to crash for a while myself." Roxas said, waving it off. "I don't need a whole night, just a quick nap should do it…"

The duck frowned in confusion, putting his hands on his hips. "Now how in the world would a wee nap make ya feel so much better that ya aren't on one knee like that?"

"I can heal fast…" Roxas said tiredly as he stood up. "I just need some Potions and Ethers, a small nap and I should be good to go." With that said, the young Nobody began walking away.

The duck frowned in a bit of concern, but he sighed, walking away. Roxas didn't even notice when a certain sphere appeared in the sky behind him and an armored figure flew down on a skateboard-like Keyblade Glider.

Roxas walked near some houses in the area… It wasn't crowded, not a lot of people… There weren't any Unversed or potential enemies around. _Good, maybe I can actually rest here for a while…_ He smiled to himself, sitting down near a pipe and closing his eyes.

* * *

…_I'm… here again? So… I just need… to fall asleep in order to get here? Huh… Good to know… I looked around. Is the voice… going to appear again?_

"_... Roxas…" Yes, I hear him… I think it's a 'he' anyway. Please, you still haven't told me why I'm here or who you are…_

"_You're here… because… I wanted you to see…"_

… _See? See what?_

"_The… tragedy of three… Keyblade Wielders…"_

_H-huh? But why? I don't understand- and what tragedy are you talking about?_

"_It… might help… when you reunite… with Sora… knowing what happened… in the past…"_

… _So… I'm still going to reunite with him? No, that's not… I don't want to give up my own person just for him!_

"_You will see… soon enough… You will see… Do not worry… about changing the future… You will… be safe…"_

_I don't understand! How could I be safe? How could I not alter anything? I'm in the past and anything I do will cause the future to change!_

"_... It won't change because…Memories are a fragile thing…" Huh? I don't understand… "You will… soon enough… Roxas…"_

* * *

As Roxas was asleep, he didn't notice a few Unversed pop up around him ten minutes later, or when one of them was about to attack him. He DID notice, though, when a certain blond lookalike easily destroyed it and smashed the others away from him.

"Wah!?" Roxas jumped… and hit his head on the pipe. "OW!" He grabbed his head, groaning in pain. "Ugh… Ven?" He looked up at the mentioned boy in confusion.

Ventus nodded, giving a bright smile. "Yeah- you arrived here too, huh Roxas? For some reason, I woke up in the Lanes Between, not actually on the world- and I find you taking a nap!"

The blond Nobody grumbled, slowly standing up with a grunt. "Yeah well, I needed to get _some_ sleep… I'm all sore and my body feels like it's going to collapse! I have no Potions, Ethers or Elixirs either- in fact, I'm surprised I haven't just dropped and died yet. Ugh… Where does your boundless energy come from anyway, Ven?"

The boy in front of Roxas blinked, frowning in confusion. "...You don't know?" Roxas frowned as well as Ven pointed behind him. "There are spots all over the worlds- if you use one, all your energy will flow back to you! I'm surprised you haven't heard of them since you're a Keyblade Wielder…"

"... Spots?" Roxas frowned in confusion- he remembered the data Twilight Town he was in had these certain special spots, but he just thought it was because it was a virtual town. "So… you… don't sleep, at all?"

Ven chuckled at that, shrugging. "When I'm at home? I sleep until like noon some days- I just haven't here because I heard about them! Besides, sleeping while there are enemies around is kinda like asking for a death sentence."

"Yeah, that's a good point." Roxas sighed, rubbing his back in a bit of pain. "I'm still so tired and sore, but… I'll live until I can get an Elixir or one of those 'energy points' as you called them."

Ven nodded, smiling. "Right- do you know what they look like?" Roxas frowned, shaking his head. "Really? Well, they're bright green spots on the ground- usually only Keyblade Wielders can see them, except for some worlds… On those, _everyone_ sees them."

"... I thought I saw some green spots before, but… I don't know, you could call it paranoia, but I felt like I was gonna get trapped in some virtual reality if I touched them. Besides; bright green? It sounds like dangerous radiation if you ask me." the Nobody said, looking a bit wary. "Um… wait, I still have my coat on… Should I take it off?" Roxas wondered- if Terra and Aqua were here, he didn't want to be in this coat, but if they ARE here and there are Unversed here… he'd rather he HAD his coat.

Ven shrugged, thinking to himself. "Well… you might as well keep it on for now- but keep the hood down, Roxas. We both know it's you, and if we see Aqua or Terra, you can just quickly pull it on without them seeing you!"

"Right, and Ven… thanks. Aqua might suspect me though, or think of me as that boy in the mask, so… if that happens I'm either bolting or you help me out there, okay?" Roxas quickly said nervously, glancing around.

Ven nodded, glancing up at the castle nearby. "Right… I think Mickey went up there, though- wanna help me check? It'd be really quick!"

"Mickey? So he's here too huh..." Roxas jumped to his feet, stretching a bit. "W-well in that case… let's get going! Oh, and if you see any Moogle Shops, could you get me an Elixir please?"

Ven nodded, smiling brightly. "Sure- now c'mon, let's go!" With that said, Ventus began running up the stairs, and Roxas blinked at how fast the boy was now. "Hurry up!" he called back.

"..." Roxas frowned a bit before running after Ven. "Did you get faster or something? Or am I getting slower?"

Ven glanced at Roxas, shrugging. "Well, maybe a bit of both…" He smiled brightly. "I'm getting a lot more experienced, though- so I'm definitely doing better than I did when we sparred! But… You know, you're also a bit slower- you're exhausted, remember?"

"Hey, I'm not_ that_ exhausted." Roxas grumbled before giving his look alike a small smile. "But it's nice to see you're getting stronger, Ven."

Ven gave a slightly proud grin, chuckling sheepishly as they reached the top of the stairs. "Yeah, I guess I'm doing better… C'mon, let's head in!" He began to walk into the castle up ahead before two guards stopped him. "Huh!?"

Roxas blinked, the two guards looked familiar to him… "... You two…" _Xaldin? Lexaeus? No… that's impossible._

"Sorry, no entry permitted to outsiders." 'Lexaeus' said firmly, keeping his weapon in front of the two.

"But we just want to find a friend of ours- he just came this way!" Ven spoke up, frowning a bit, but neither of the two moved.

Roxas blinked before realizing that these two… _They must be Xaldin and Lexaeus before they became Nobodies. So this is their world, huh…? _"Come on, Ven, I don't think they're going to let us through."

Ven frowned in disappointment, muttering to himself, "I could've _sworn_ it was him…" But he turned around, just in time to see an Unversed appear! "H-huh!?" This one seemed bigger than the rest, and it was more robotic as well.

Roxas frowned, this Unversed… reminded him of Guard Armor almost, but… It was little bit smaller, like it was missing pieces or something. _I wonder if… it's in parts like the Guard Armor was…_ "Come on, we better follow it." Roxas said to Ven, who nodded.

The two guards were already walking towards it as if ready to fight and defend the castle. Roxas had to commend their loyalties since he only knew about their Nobodies, but… "Let us handle it, please." he said to them as Ven already rocketed forward, surprising the young Nobody. "H-hey! Not so fast please!" He rushed after his look alike, not noticing a scientist walk out of the castle behind them.

The two of them rushed after the Unversed as fast as they could, but it sped ahead to the garden, and when they arrived, it was coming closer to the duck from before, Scrooge McDuck! "Ach, no ye don't! How dare ye!? Back off, ya fiend! Ye won't be gettin' _my_ money!" he snapped.

Roxas almost dropped his jaw at this. _Seriously? Is that how muggers look in this world!? Or is this guy just obsessed with money!?_ "V-Ven!?" he yelled in shock when he suddenly saw the faster boy just swipe at the Unversed, causing it to fly away further. _That's odd… I should still be able to keep up with him despite his speed… Is there something wrong with me? I know I was tired, but this is ridiculous!_

Ven gritted his teeth in irritation, rushing after the Unversed before Scrooge stopped him. "Wait a moment, laddie!" he called, making the blond pause as the duck walked forward. "Don't I even get a chance to repay ye?"

"You don't have to, please, I have to chase that thing." Ven said quickly.

"Now wait just a minute, I won't be havin' ya run off before I can properly repay ya. And I don't mean my money." Scrooge said, before noticing Roxas. "Oi, it's you again laddie! Now I have a gift here for that two of ya, in my hat." He smiled and took out his hat. "Now come here, I'd like you two see it."

Curious now, Ven and Roxas slowly began approaching the duck, who spoke into his hat. "You don't have to hide it from me… You two are from another world, aren't ye? That's okay, yer secret's safe with me, fer I too am from another world meself."

Ven and Roxas blinked before they nodded, Ven straightening up with a smile. "Okay, is that all?"

"Ah, here ya go! Life time passes to Disney Town- ye'll have buckets of fun, but be sure to bring at least two grown-ups with ya, laddies." Scrooge said, holding out four passes.

Roxas blinked before Ven took the cards. _Bring two grown ups? What, he thinks we're eight or something?_

Ven smiled a bit, before he put them in his pocket. "Thanks, Mr. McDuck- we'll be on our way now! C'mon, Roxas!" With that, he turned and began running after the Unversed once more.

* * *

Roxas was panting at this point, he didn't know why he felt so much weaker… that nap should've helped him, yet for some reason he felt like he was going to keel over soon. Ven kept running so far ahead of him… Roxas jumped and had to glide after the fast boy. "You… are… going too… fast… I can hardly… keep up, Ven." The tired Nobody wasn't sure if the look alike even heard him.

Ven kept running after the Unversed, but this time he was stopped by an old man in a blue cap and wearing a blue gown complaining loudly. "Oh, hang it all! Can't I get a moment's peace in my new hometown!?"

Ven gasped, stopping and turning to the man next to him. "M-Mister, you gotta get inside! It's not safe out here!"

"Not safe? I'll have you know, young man, that I may be old but I am a powerful wizard- MERLIN the wizard, as a matter of fact!" the old wizard snapped. "... Hmm…" He studied Ven for a minute. "Let me guess, you're here to unlock your true potential, is that it?"

Ven blinked, surprised. "W-what? How did you know!?" He frowned in confusion, glancing around but he didn't see the Nobody anywhere. "...Roxas? Huh… I guess I went too fast for him." He sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his neck. _Maybe I should go slower next time… But I thought someone like Roxas could easily keep up with me..._

"Now the book is inside, so come in and take a look if you want." Merlin said as he went into the house.

Ven smiled, walking closer to the house before he stopped. "...Wait… _what_ book?" he murmured to himself. _And… maybe I should wait for Roxas… _He hesitated again before walking inside the house.

Meanwhile, the said Nobody was whacking at some Unversed that appeared in front of him. _Seriously!? He just LEFT me behind like that!? Ugh… I shouldn't be feeling THIS tired! That's it, I'm going to hunt down an Elixir even if it kills me! _Finally, Roxas managed to dispatch the last large Unversed, before he noticed a green circle on the ground nearby him. "...Huh? Is this… that spot Ven was talking about earlier?"

The young Nobody hurried into it and felt the green light surround him. Roxas closed his eyes as he felt his exhaustion and injuries fade away, almost as if he was as good as new. Smiling in relief, the renewed Nobody stepped out of the light, nodding to himself. "That'll definitely make things a lot easier. Now… where did Ven go?"

He looked around before noticing his look alike walking out of a nearby building. "Ven!" He rushed up to him, taking a moment to catch his breath again. "Slow down next time- and what were you doing in there, anyhow?"

The look alike blinked before seeing the Nobody, and he shrugged. "Well apparently this book helped unlock some potential in me- not sure what, though. And I'm really sorry, I didn't realize you were falling behind…"

Roxas shrugged, giving a bright smile. "It's okay, I feel much better now after finding one of those special spots you told me about. They really come in handy- I'm surprised I didn't see them before! …" He frowned in thought, crossing his arms. _Come to think of it… why COULDN'T I see those special spots in the Organization? I had my Keyblade_ then_- what's changed?_

"Well that's good then! Now come on, that Unversed can't be too far! Think you can keep up with me this time?" Ven asked, smirking.

Roxas smirked back, shrugging. "We'll see then, let's go!" And with that, both boys hurried after the Unversed.

As they chased the Unversed, Roxas noticed they were getting closer and closer to the edges of the town, until finally they were running on the top of the walls bordering around the town. The Nobody frowned as they soon reached a clearing of the buildings, almost like an arena, and there he noticed Terra.

"Uh-oh…" Roxas quickly pulled up his hood to hide his face. He and Ven reached Terra about the same time… that Aqua did! _Aqua's here too!? Oh… Hearts… _He gulped.

Aqua gasped, seeing Ven with who she thought was Vanitas. "VEN! Get away from him!" she glared at Roxas with anger in her eyes. _Why is he with Ven!? Heck, why isn't Ven DOING anything about it!? Did he brainwash Ven!?_

Roxas stopped short and began backing away. Ven frowned in confusion, Roxas had warned him Aqua may have thought he was the boy in the mask, but he didn't think she'd react so hostile towards him. "Uh… Aqua, what's wrong?" he worriedly asked.

Aqua frowned, but her attention was distracted when the three Unversed began to merge together into one. "W-what in the…?" she gasped, quickly summoning her Keyblade and not noticing Roxas run off while her attention was off of him.

"Aqua, was that Vanitas?" Terra asked her, despite the situation. _If it is… why is he not wearing his mask? Did something happen to it?_

"Yes, or at least, that's who he claimed to be." Aqua answered, frowning angrily. "Either way, he's dangerous!"

Terra frowned thought, summoning his own Keyblade. "I see… and what happened to Roxas? Did you take him back to the Land of Departure?" Aqua winced at that, and he noticed. "...Aqua? What happened!?" he demanded with a concerned frown. "Don't tell me he…!"

Ven gulped, quickly interjecting. "G-guys! We have to focus right now!" he reminded them, summoning Wayward Wind. "We've got a giant Unversed to beat together, we can't get distracted!"

* * *

While the three were busy with the Unversed, Roxas had snuck away from them in the shadows, quickly removing his black coat since he didn't want to deal with an angry Aqua and Terra.

"That was close… I hope Terra and Aqua would forgive me…" Roxas sighed, stuffing the cloak into his pocket once more and leaning against a nearby wall.

"Talking to yourself, eh kiddo?" Someone suddenly spoke up behind him.

Roxas jumped, recognizing that voice. "Xigbar!?" he accidentally blurted out when he turned around. He frowned a bit, though. _Wait… no, this has to be his original self- he doesn't have the eyepatch, the scar… heck, he looks eerily different!_

The man Roxas would later know as Xigbar frowned in confusion, shaking his head. "Who the heck is Xigbar? The name's Braig, tiger- don't get it so mixed up!" He smirked, leaning back "So, kid, you named Roxas?"

Roxas frowned and glared in suspicion… he didn't really know Xigbar all that well, but the man was known for his loyalty to Xemnas, next to Saix, and he almost killed Xi-... Someone? Roxas shook his head. "... That depends, who wants to know?"

Braig shrugged lazily, glancing over at Roxas with a slightly feral smirk. "Eh, nobody important really… But I'm under orders to test you, maybe bring you in if I'm lucky." He then aimed an arrowgun, which Roxas just noticed he was holding, right at Roxas's forehead! "So you might wanna get ready for a fight, kiddo- because I'm not gonna hold back."

"Wait a minute, I never said my name was Roxas, I just asked who wanted to know." Roxas spoke up, frowning in concern. "Besides, what if I'm just some kid? You'd be murdering an innocent child."

Braig chuckled, keeping his finger on the trigger. "As if! Ya know, he _said_ you were a smart one… but he also told me what you looked like, tiger. I'm not your grandma, ya know- you can't fool me into thinking you're somebody else! Now c'mon… Summon your little Keyblade- you_ know_ you have no choice."

"And what if I'm Ventus? I don't think this _he_ told you to test Ventus, now did he?" Roxas asked him, but he was ready to summon his Keyblade should Braig fire. He did remember fighting with Xigbar during some sparring matches, so he knew the guy loves to shoot rapidly and fast.

Braig merely laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Wow, the old man's predictions were spot on! You really _did_ go for the look alike card next!" He smirked, twirling one of his arrowguns around his finger. "But I'm still not fooled… You say you're Ventus? As if! Well, fine- if you won't make a move, I will!" With that as his only warning, he fired a big dart.

In the blink of an eye, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and deflected the shot right back at Braig! Braig gasped as he felt his dart hit his gut, and Roxas didn't hesitate to run at him and whale on his body while he was stunned from the shot. Braig didn't stay stunned for long, though, as he quickly teleported away and shot at Roxas from another angle. Roxas hissed in pain as he felt some of the energy darts hit his back.

Braig gave a smirk, quickly recovering from his own bolt being reflected right back at him. "Well you're a lot faster than I'd thought you'd be, heh." he aimed at the Nobody's back again and fired.

Roxas barely dodged the attack as he turned around and glared, grabbing Oathkeeper with both hands and getting into his battle stance. From what he knew with Xigbar was that you can't get in close until you could either stun him or wait until he's out of ammo and attack while he's reloading- neither options were common though, and it's mostly a skill of survival and luck.

Braig grinned cockily, aiming both of his arrowguns at Roxas's forehead. "You're definitely fast- but I wonder, _how_ fast? Fast enough to _dance_!?" he began firing down at Roxas's feet, making the Nobody begin to hop back and forth on both feet.

Roxas had to run as the shots were constantly being shot at his feet, and he began to Dodge Roll, trying to get closer towards Braig. Then he stopped and used Oathkeeper to block most of the energy darts right back at Braig- this time, even though it hurt, him it didn't stun him and he was still shooting. Roxas Dodge Rolled again, then Braig suddenly teleported to a balcony on top of the house.

"I can see you~" Braig said as he began shooting at Roxas like a hunter shooting an animal. "You'd better be fast!" he taunted, firing again and again before he reloaded.

Roxas groaned, this was going to get annoying. Roxas tried to deflect some energy darts back at Braig, but he got hit a few times… and unfortunately, being hit a few times was fatal with someone like Braig, because he was now wide open for multiple shots! "Argh!" Roxas shouted in pain before he managed to deflect a big energy dart back at Braig, making him stop long enough for Roxas to cast Curaga on himself.

Braig growled angrily, but he teleported back down to Roxas's level, beginning to shoot a lot closer again. "You think you can get away? As if!" he taunted, managing to hit Roxas right in the knee! "C'mon, are _all _Keyblade Wielders this weak!?"

Roxas hissed in pain, falling to one knee, but he managed to stab his Keyblade into the ground, and he used it to push off the ground and kick Braig right in the gut with his leg that wasn't paralyzed by the energy!

The young Nobody was now limping, but he didn't want to waste his magic energy on another Cure until it was needed, so he had to try and be smart and fast. Braig jumped over Roxas and began shooting from above! Roxas gasped as he tried to run but his paralyzed leg wouldn't let him and he fell on his back! Thinking fast, Roxas began swinging his Oathkeeper in a frenzy, hoping to bat away all the energy beams before they could hit and possibly kill him.

Thankfully, though, Braig was hit by every single energy beam, since they were reflected right back up at his face. "Gah!" He winced in pain, getting smacked by Oathkeeper more than once.

Braig hissed as he teleported to the top balcony again, figuring since Roxas is limping it'll make it easier to shoot him from afar. "Heh, I can see you~"

Roxas hissed as he cast Reflect to buy some time, but when the next set of shooters came at him, the Nobody was ready and used Oathkeeper to deflect them like a baseball bat! The energy darts were swung back at Braig and he grunted in pain each time, especially since the darts gained more momentum when they were swung back like that.

Eventually, Braig teleported back down and began firing at Roxas again. The Nobody decided to shoot back this time, though, using the new Shotlock he's been learning. Roxas tried to take aim, but he soon realized how dangerous that was as he was hit several times and couldn't get a good lock on him! _Note to self; don't ever try the Shotlock on fast enemies._ Roxas had to Dodge Roll away, though his injured leg made it rather difficult for him to maneuver much.

Braig was still shooting as fast as he could, taking mere moments to reload each time. Unfortunately for him, though, Roxas was much more prepared, and he _easily_ reflected them all back. Braig grunted in pain, but he teleported after the first one. "You think you can hit me? As if!" He fired again, but Roxas easily dodged it, firing a huge Firaga right at the man! "GAH!" He groaned in pain, slightly singed. "Note to self- _never_ fight you brats fair again!"

Roxas used the Oathkeeper to help him jump over Braig, who was still recovering from his Firaga attack, and slam his Keyblade right into Braig's gut! It caused the trigger happy shooter to fall to the ground in pain as the Nobody landed behind him. Roxas panted, but he could see that the battle was over. "... Well? Did I pass your little test?"

Braig merely groaned, slowly standing up and leaning against the wall for support. Then he gave Roxas a small smirk. "Heh… Not bad, tiger- you're even better than he said you were…" Then he began to walk away into another corner, calling back, "Guess my mission failed this time! But don't worry, Roxas- I'll be back sooner or later, and you'd better be ready!"

Roxas sighed as he sat down, his leg still paralyzed. The Nobody looked at Oathkeeper in his hand, wondering to himself. _I wonder if hiding myself is even doing me any good anymore… It's like everyone knows who I am… even though I'm not trying to get any attention. I wonder if my own Keyblade attracts other Keyblade users…_

Finally, his leg recovered enough for the Nobody to dismiss Oathkeeper and stumble over to where the other 3 Keyblade Wielders were, and he sat down, watching as they destroyed the last remnants of that big Unversed. _Oh good, they managed to finish it off together. Heh… Just like best friends…_

* * *

As soon as the Unversed was destroyed, the three met up in the middle, happy to see each other. Ven grinned happily gave his two other passes to Terra and Aqua, "It's lifetime passes to Disney Town, and he said…" then he frowned a bit, muttering, "... he said to take two 'grown ups'." Aqua and Terra chuckled at that, shaking their heads in amusement.

Roxas almost laughed at that, it was as if Ven is just _now_ getting it. It looked like the conversation was going well for the three friends… That is, until Ven said, pumping his fist confidently, "Trust me, that boy in the mask is history- he'll never bad mouth Terra again!"

Terra gasped and he said, his eyes widening in shock, "The boy in the mask! Are you okay, Ven?"

"U-uh, yeah." Ven frowned, confused at Terra's reaction. "What's the big deal, Terra?"

"Vanitas…" Terra frowned, glancing away in anger.

This confused Aqua though, and she blinked in surprise. "But… Vanitas was wearing a black coat, not a mask- are you sure it was him?"

Ven frowned in confusion, crossing his arms in thought. "...Uh… yeah, of course- the guy in the coat's a friend! I promise, he's not out to hurt anyone, and he even helped me fight off some bad guys!"

Terra frowned in confusion at that, but he shook his head, looking at the blond seriously. "Ven… Let Aqua take you home. It's dangerous out here, and I don't want you to get hurt while doing our mission."

"But Terra-" Ven tried to protest.

"Wait…" Aqua suddenly said, frowning. "Whether or not Vanitas is the boy in the mask or the boy in the black coat is still up for debate… but… Terra… I've been to the same worlds as you- I've seen what you've done… What _is_ this dangerous task of yours? It doesn't sound like what the Master said to do!"

"... You mean you've been spying on me? Does Master Eraqus not trust me?" Terra asked, frowning in anger at this. "Is _that_ his orders to you? To keep an eye on me?"

"No, he was just…" Aqua hesitated, glancing away sadly.

Terra shook his head, taking her hesitation as something else. "I see… Looks like I'm on my own now." He said as he began walking away.

"Terra! Please! The Master has no reason to distrust you, he was just worried! Listen to me, _please_ Terra!" Aqua called to him, but Terra kept going.

Roxas frowned at this, and he watched as Terra was walking down into a building. _… Why does this seem so familiar?_ A brief flashback of Roxas being with Axel and another, the three of them were inseparable, but then one of them left and the other wouldn't tell him anything. Roxas _did_ remember yelling at Axel before he left the Organization… _Maybe that's why it felt so familiar… Is… _this_ why that voice made me come here? There are… so many similarities…_

"You're awful Aqua…" Roxas's attention was caught when he heard Ven say this to the blue haired Keyblade Master next to him.

"... So now you know the truth…" Aqua said softly to him. "B-but… but the Master _loves_ Terra, and you know that just as much as I do…"

"Were you also… _ordered_ to take me home?" The boy asked her. Aqua hesitated at that, wincing. Ven shook his head, looking down sadly. "Ever since you became a Keyblade Master, Aqua… You let it go to your head… I'm going to find Terra- and apologize for what _you_ said to him." And with that, Ven ran off, leaving Aqua alone.

Roxas weakly stood up, seeing that argument and the three of them split up like that left a bitter taste in his mouth. _This… really seems way too familiar for my own good…!_ He slowly walked over to Aqua, tapping her shoulder. "... Aqua?"

The blue haired girl gasped in shock, turning to him with wide eyes. "R-Roxas!" She hesitated, before softly asking, "Did… you see all of that too?" When the blond in front of her nodded, she looked down in both sadness and slight frustration. "I… I didn't mean it like… like _that_…"

"It's okay Aqua… I understand." Roxas said softly, nodding. "You were ordered to keep an eye on them… You had your hands tied. You may not know it, but I can understand where you're coming from… You had to listen to your master even if it meant spying on your friends." _It's nothing I haven't done before myself… Maybe it's not the same thing, but still…_

Aqua looked at him in surprise before she noticed something. "W-wait…" her eyes widened in shock, seeing the boy limping. "Roxas, what happened to you!? I-in fact, how did you _get_ here!?" She quickly cast a small Cure on the boy, still looking him over worriedly.

"I kind of ran into someone who used a Star Shard, it took us both here but I haven't seen him since." Roxas explained, shrugging. "And the leg… I… I uh… tripped and fell down the stairs."

Aqua frowned, still looking Roxas over worriedly. "It's not just that, Roxas- you were _covered_ in bruises! Did someone try to hurt you again?!" By now Roxas was feeling uncomfortable with how worried she was with him. "W-we really should find Ven and get you both home…"

"..." Roxas sighed, looking down sadly.

"Roxas…" Aqua suddenly said, surprising the boy. "Vanitas is supposedly the boy in the mask… But the one I met wasn't wearing a mask, but a black coat."

Roxas frowned, looking up at her in confusion. "What about it?" Even though the Nobody acted innocent, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach…

Aqua frowned, looking at Roxas a bit suspiciously. "And… well, it really _couldn't_ have been Ven, since he was right there…" Roxas gulped as she continued. "The… the only one who wasn't there… was _you_. Roxas… why did you lie so much to me about this whole thing? Why say you were Vanitas instead?"

"... What? You think it was _me_?" Roxas frowned, glancing around worriedly. _Please don't tell me my cover's going to get BLOWN AGAIN!_ "...I… I have to go." Panicked and not wanting Aqua to confirm his suspicion, the Nobody ran from her, thankful that his leg was no longer injured and he could run without limping.

Aqua gasped, too shocked to move in time. "R-Roxas, wait!" It was too late… he had already turned a corner and disappeared from sight. _Roxas… who _are_ you? What are you hiding from us?_

The Nobody didn't stop running, but he was lost in his thoughts, allowing his feet to just carry him. _What am I going to do now? Aqua most likely already knows… Ven definitely knows… Terra's bound to find out soon. I can't go back to them, not like this… but where am I supposed to go? … That voice was clear when he told me to stay with them, but… how can I? They already know too much about me… I don't want to disappear by changing the future like this!_

Roxas finally stopped near the flower beds, where he first entered this place. _… It… it almost feels like I have nowhere to go… like when I first left the Organization…_ "What am I going to do now?" he asked himself out loud.

"Hmph- doesn't matter to me." Roxas gasped at that, turning to see a familiar-looking boy behind him. "But you know… we haven't had that solo rematch yet- are you stronger than you were last time? I want to fight you like we did that first time! When you used two Keyblades against me instead of one." Then Vanitas shrugged. "But, I guess that's what happens when you hang around Ventus too long… You become _weaker_ instead of _stronger_."

"What are you saying?" Roxas snapped, glaring irritably. "Ven's getting a lot stronger! Don't talk down on him!"

"Hmph, who said I was talking down on _him_?" Vanitas said, walking around the wary Nobody. "Perhaps I'm talking about _you_, Roxas."

Roxas frowned at that… _'You become _weaker_ instead of _stronger_'. What does he mean by that? … It… it seems… familiar too… Why is _that_?_

Before the Nobody could think of it more, he heard a cry behind him. "Roxas!" Aqua ran up to him, before she noticed Vanitas and gasped in shock. "A mask! You're the boy that Ventus mentioned…!" She frowned. _Is _he_ Vanitas? Or is this another boy who just calls himself that…? … Maybe he really is Vanitas, because Roxas is right here…_

"Aqua!" Roxas frowned, he had hoped she wasn't following him. _I mean, come on! She had two other friends to worry about and I'M the one she comes after!? Give me a break already!_

"So it seems you've heard about me already." Vanitas said to her, smirking behind his mask. "I'm so _honored."_

"Aqua, why are you here?" Roxas frowned, knowing he couldn't take on Vanitas with her here.

The blue haired Keyblade Master frowned, but before she could say anything, Vanitas interrupted her. "Tell me something… Has Ventus learned to put up a _decent fight_ yet, Aqua? Hmm?"

"What do you want with Ven?" Aqua snapped at the boy in the mask, frowning angrily.

"I'll be the one asking the questions here! Because after all… only one of us is walking away alive- other than Roxas, if he's gotten any stronger…" Vanitas said sadistically as he summoned his Keyblade.

Roxas groaned at this. _Seriously? How many times am I going to be involved with this guy!? _He began to back away before Aqua grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. "H-huh?" He blinked in surprise, glancing up at her. "...Aqua…?"

She sighed, before looking at him seriously. "Roxas… I know you can use a Keyblade. _Please_, help me fight Vanitas…" She glared up at him, adding angrily, "He's planning to hurt Ven after he kills us- and I won't let that happen!"

Roxas frowned and sighed, clenching his fist in frustration. "... It's really not fair… that I wasn't able to keep my identity a secret…" The Nobody then glared, no longer caring to hide it anymore from her as he summoned Oblivion to his hand, wanting a heavy hitter for Vanitas. Roxas didn't hesitate to charge at Vanitas and slashed at him- after all, this is the _third time_ he's fought with the guy. They more or less know each other's strategies!

Aqua gasped, momentarily startled by it. _I-I was hoping I was wrong…! But… I guess he really does have a Keyblade after all… And by the looks of it… he's used to fighting a lot too. _She frowned, summoning her own Keyblade, Rainfell.

Roxas glared at Vanitas as he snapped angrily, "You're just so full of yourself, aren't you!? Did you do something to Ven earlier?"

Vanitas chuckled sarcastically, easily holding up against Roxas's blows. "Oh, look who's so smart all of a sudden- guess being so weak means you have to make up with it by being smarter! Well let me tell you, you're not so far off as you think…"

Roxas hissed, jumping back and firing off a Blizzard. "What did you do to him!?" he shouted, dodging Vanitas's strike as he slashed a second time.

Aqua came running in and slashed at Vanitas, causing the two boys to jump away from each other. "You did something to Ven!?" She scowled, firing off three Fire spells in a row. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

Vanitas only laughed, replying easily, "It's not any of your business." He jumped and began firing Dark Thunder at both of them. "_Roxas_ is the one whose life is on the line, not yours!"

Roxas Dodge Rolled away while Aqua cartwheeled away. Roxas couldn't help but blink at her style of dodging. _Cartwheels… Huh, never thought of that._ The Nobody then threw his Oblivion at Vanitas like a boomerang to hit the boy and get him down from the air and stop the Dark Thunder storm attack.

Vanitas hissed in pain, but he easily landed on the ground without any problems, and he dove under the ground, beginning to track Aqua. Roxas gasped as he ran over to Aqua and pushed her away just as Vanitas caught up and slashed! Roxas grunted in pain as that attack did severe damage, causing a few cracks to be heard as ribs broke like puny sticks!

"GAH!" He fell to the ground, clutching his chest as that's where he was hit. _W-what the heck!? Usually I'd do just fine against that kind of attack… Why is it so painful!? _"W-what did you do, Vanitas!?" he growled out.

"ROXAS!" Aqua ran over to him. "HEAL!" She quickly cast Cura on him, healing his cracked bones and ribs, but Roxas was still weak and barely able to stand.

Roxas groaned as he used the Keyblade to help him stand up. "Vanitas… did something… but I'm not sure what he did." Roxas said weakly to Aqua, still holding his chest painfully.

Vanitas laughed at that, shaking his head in sadistic amusement. "As much as I'd love to take credit for this, it's not me." He then fired another Dark Thunder, barely missing Roxas! "How ironic- one clone growing weaker while the other grows stronger!"

"Wh-what?" Roxas hissed, panting faintly. "What are you…" _Wait… is he saying… _Ven's_ doing this?_

Aqua glared at Vanitas, firing off a Shotlock of bubbles. "ENOUGH! You're not going to hurt my friend!" She charged at him, casting spell after spell, before she suddenly glowed! "Command Style: Spellcaster!"

Roxas groaned as he stood up while Aqua attacked. _This pain… it wasn't just from Vanitas's attack… Something's wrong with me… I shouldn't have a heart, but… why do I feel such pain in my chest? And… why does it… seem so familiar?_

The Nobody continued to groan in pain as flashes of a memory flew by. _"It's fine… I just feel a bit weaker, is all." Roxas told somebody. "Guess I caught the cold or something, heh…"_

"_Roxas! Are you okay?" a mysterious girl asked him._

"_I-I'm… fine… just feeling… tired is all, I guess…"_

Roxas grabbed his head, trying to get the memories to stop or he might scream again. "Ugh… come on… not now… Not in the middle of another battle…!" he muttered to himself. Thankfully the memory froze, and Roxas sighed in relief… right before he was tackled to the ground from above!

Vanitas laughed sadistically from above him, pinning Roxas down and beginning to slash away. "This is too easy- for a Keyblade Master, you certainly seem to be the weakest of them all!"

Roxas growled as he managed to kick Vanitas away and stab at his shoulder! "I'm not a Keyblade Master! And you shut up!"

Vanitas scoffed, jumping away. "I wasn't talking to you, Roxas. I was talking to Aqua here- she hits like a tiny water balloon! Pathe- UGH!" Aqua took the time to slash at his back while he was distracted!

"You were saying?" Aqua snapped angrily, spinning around her Keyblade like a baton.

"... Never anger a girl dude." Roxas said. "And I want to know… what you've done to me and Ven… I shouldn't be feeling this weak!" he snapped, grabbing his chest.

Vanitas chuckled, holding his Void Gear above his head. "It really isn't me, foolish Roxas… You really don't get it? It's the _weak link_ who's sacrificing you- all I did was give him the power to do so!"

"..." Roxas's eyes widened as more memories flashed by.

"_Don't you get it? _ Is a puppet and she's absorbing all your energy, Roxas! The longer she lingers around you… the weaker you will become until eventually you'll…"_

"_But why am I getting stronger and Roxas is getting weaker?"_

"_You're just… borrowing more than you should…"_

"_She's not a puppet!"_

_"You're next Roxas… I have to make you a part of me too. Don't you see? _This_ is why I was created!"_

"_I have the right to know the truth! Why did this happen!? … Where did I think I could go? What a joke… _…" So… much… static…_

Roxas hadn't realized it, but he was on his knees holding his head while Aqua was trying to keep Vanitas at bay. He gasped, quickly standing up and resummoning his Oblivion Keyblade. _T-this… has this happened before!? Who IS that in my memory!? Why can't I remember their name!?_

He gritted his teeth, deciding to ignore it, and he charged at Vanitas, slashing at his back while the masked boy was facing Aqua! "TAKE THIS!" he shouted, angrily slashing again and again as his irritation at his memories came pouring out like a flood.

Vanitas took a lot more than he expected before he hastily teleported from Roxas's slashings and dived at him with his Void Gear from above. "Too slow, just pathetic!"

"Gah!" Roxas hissed in pain at his arm since it's what got hit, but he didn't stop, he managed to turn and slash at Vanitas's side, causing the boy in the mask to fall to the ground and roll into the flower bed, finally unmoving.

Aqua panted a bit, smiling thankfully at Roxas. "Great job, Roxas…!" She then frowned, walking over to Vanitas and reaching down to his mask. "Now… who _are_ you…?"

Suddenly, Vanitas started laughing, and Aqua quickly jumped back, startled. Roxas frowned, resummoning Oblivion into his hand as Vanitas stood up, summoning a Dark Corridor behind him.

"Well, you're a bit tougher than I thought- maybe I'll keep you around." Vanitas said to Aqua before turning to Roxas. "Roxas… Let's see if you still like your_ clone_ after you learn what he's done. Never hurts to have backups, after all…" With that, he disappeared into the Dark Corridor.

Roxas frowned as he dismissed Oblivion and Aqua put a hand on his shoulder. "Huh?" _Oh right… I guess now that he's gone, she can talk to me about… why I lied to her… _"Look… Aqua… I…" He hesitated.

Aqua sighed, slowly shaking her head. "Roxas… I know you're worried about us finding out- I _get_ it now. But…" She looked him in the eye as she kneeled down, looking like she was about to cry. "I… I don't understand _why_- why keep trying to hide? What's so wrong about knowing you have a Keyblade and want to help?"

"... Aqua… it's… because I'm a stranger- I wasn't chosen by any Keyblade Master. Don't you find it weird that some kid you've never seen or heard about before suddenly shows up and wields the Keyblade?" Roxas asked her, crossing his arms. "At the very least, I would look like some suspicious guy…"

"..." Aqua hesitated, sighing. "Okay, yes… at first, you seemed suspicious… but you proved yourself by continuing to help others even though you'd get hurt. I'm willing to bet that _you_ saved Cinderella… didn't you?"

Roxas didn't answer that, but Aqua knew the answer when she saw the look in his blue eyes. The Nobody sighed, looking down. "... Look, it's… really not easy for me to just… show up, looking like your friend Ventus and have a Keyblade. It's… more than just awkward, it's weird and… Eraqus had his Keyblade to my nose earlier about it…"

Aqua frowned, giving Roxas a small hug. "Hey… Roxas, listen to me…" she murmured softly. "It may be strange… but you're a lot different from Ven- you're your own person… Despite how you look, I honestly think you're a lot less naive, and in all honesty… I've only known you for a few hours- but it's still seemed like _ages_ for me…"

"It's been a few days Aqua… The worlds have different time zones, but it's been almost a week." Roxas told her, frowning in a bit of concern. "And besides… I'm… probably not as different from Ven as I had hoped… There were a lot of… clues hinting that we're too much alike."

Aqua blinked at that, looking at Roxas in confusion. "...Such as?" she warily asked. "I really… haven't seen any other than the scream…"

"Our lives mirrored each other too similarly Aqua…" Roxas said with a frown as he began panting more and clutching his chest once more. "... And… I… *huff*" _Not again… Is Ven doing this? But… he's not here, is he?_

"AQUA!" Roxas froze, hearing Ven behind him. "Roxas!" The Nobody quickly let go, turning around to see Ventus running up to them. "I finally found you both…"

"V-Ven?" Roxas stumbled back a bit, feeling weaker when Ven got closer. _I-it IS him… What in the world?_

Aqua looked over at Ven, not really knowing what's happening to Roxas, but thinking he was sick, she decided enough was enough.

"Terra left…" Ven frowned, glancing down. "He's just… _gone_… I don't get it…"

"I see…" Aqua sighed, looking down sadly.

Then the present blond boy smiled, "Aqua, let me go with you and Roxas, we can-"

"No, Ven!" Aqua gave him a stern look, shaking her head. "You need to take Roxas and return home, _now_. I just don't want either of you two to get hurt."

Ven frowned, starting to protest weakly. "B-but, but Aqua…" he began to say. "I-I want to come with you- what's the problem!? I can fend for myself…"

"Please Ven, just take Roxas and get back home. I'll take care of Terra myself." Aqua said as she tapped her armor and walked past the boys, looking back at them once more. _Maybe Roxas has a point… he and Ven really are similar and in more ways than one… Which is why I don't want him to get hurt either._ And with that, she got on her Keyblade Glider and left.

* * *

**Key2DestNE: Well well well, looks like Roxas just had a run-in with our favorite sniper~!**

**DarkFoxKit: Bet ya'll weren't expecting that, huh? The battle with Xigbar is a lot of fun in Kingdom Hearts II and we thought we should incorporate it here with Roxas and Braig. Also, it seems that Vanitas appears wherever Roxas is… I wonder why that is. Hee, hee~!**

**Key2DestNE: Weeeell, we're going to have to leave that up to the readers' imaginations for now- because now, it's time to answer any questions you guys had in the reviews!**

**DarkFoxKit: First, someone asked if Roxas will go with Terra again soon since he's mostly been with Aqua and Ven. Well folks, to be honest, Terra seems to be more of a loner than the other two, and he wants to face his darkness by himself, so it's kind of hard to have Roxas go with him without Terra being out of character.**

**Key2DestNE: That's right- now that doesn't mean we won't ever see Terra again, you all! It just means that pushing Roxas and Terra together may seem to be slightly forced at times, not to mention it won't be as often as the others.**

**DarkFoxKit: Now, as for the other question… 'Is Roxas going to be able to combine his Shotlock with his Limit Break?' was the question. Well… that's a bit hard to answer.**

**Key2DestNE: You see, Roxas's Shotlock won't be related to his Limit Break, but it may be slightly related to his other abilities. *grins mysteriously* Remember, he IS Sora's Nobody, so check out every form and battle you fight with as both~!**

**DarkFoxKit: And now, we've finished answering all the current questions. We hope you guys enjoyed this, and don't be afraid to ask us something about the current chapters. We'll see ya'll next week!**

**Key2DestNE: Bye bye, everyo- *suddenly gets a feeling of doom* ...U-uh… Fox? There aren't any Kingdom Hearts fangirls in any of the cameras, are there?**

**DarkFoxKit: Hmm? What do you mean? It's just the two of us here.**

**Key2DestNE: J-just check them, please! I don't like the feeling I'm getting right now…!**

**DarkFoxKit: Okay, fine, I'll look. *looks at the camera and…* … That's… a lot of… fangirls… where did they all come from?**

**Key2DestNE: *begins freaking out* I KNEW IT! I KNEW MAKING THIS GOOD A STORY WOULD END IN OUR DOOM! Reviewers, if you learn ANYTHING from this, don't make a good Roxas story, or it'll end in your doo- *the door suddenly got smashed down and he began to get glomped!* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! THE PAIN! THE PAAAAAAAIN!**

**DarkFoxKit: *was using illusions to turn into one of them and avoid getting trampled before talking into the camera* Ignore him, it's always good to make a good story, even a Roxas one. Just… try to avoid the fans if you can. See ya next time… after I get Key to the hospital.**


	9. Chapter 8: Traveling

**Key2DestNE: Hey guys, Key here- time for another chapter update! I'm sure you all are super excited for this, right?**

**DarkFoxKit: Yes, this is the chapter Roxas and Ven finally meets Lea and Isa! Also, it's when they go to Disney Town! Were you guys looking forward to this?**

**Key2DestNE: Heh… they probably were- I know I have been, and I'm one of the authors who wrote it! *is grinning in excitement, bouncing up and down***

**DarkFoxKit: Of course you were! Now when they get to Disney Town, we had to change and adjust a few things and characters for Roxas- you know, to keep the tradition that every character gets their own 'ice cream' and 'adventure' in that world. The 'mini-game' we added was based off of the 'Odd Job' mini-game from Twilight Town's tutorial from Kingdom Hearts II.**

**Key2DestNE: But don't worry, it isn't just a simple copy and paste of that mini-game! ...Okay, it sort of is, b-but it actually serves a purpose, so I hope you all pay attention to it instead of just skipping it in hopes of more action!**

**DarkFoxKit: And there's more after Disney Town, but we won't spoil it. Now get to reading~**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Traveling**

Ven was sitting in the flower bed while Roxas was sitting next to him. The Nobody was trying not to show he was weak but he was beginning to pant a bit more. _I can't… let this go on… But… how is Ven… doing this?_

Ven didn't even notice Roxas was panting, holding the wooden Keyblade in his hands as a memory flashed by of when he first got it. _Terra… Aqua… what's happened between us? I… I thought we were friends… equals…_

The Nobody looked over at Ven, he decided to try and ask him, "V-Ven… um… listen… sometimes… friends need some time to be alone and… work things out… And uh… do you feel any different?"

Ven frowned, but then he blinked, feeling Roxas nudge his side. "H-huh? ...Oh…" He frowned a bit, looking himself over. "Uh… not really- stronger, but I've been fighting a lot of Unversed lately…"

"I see…" Roxas looked down before looking up at him. "Um… Ven… I think… maybe you… might be…" he wasn't sure how to tell him without Ven taking it the wrong way. The boy was already pretty angry with his friends, he didn't need Roxas speaking nonsense to him too.

Ven frowned in confusion, turning a bit to look at Roxas. "What? What is it? You can just say it! I might be what? ...C'mon, Roxas!" He nudged the Nobody a bit.

Before Roxas could say anything, though, they heard someone, "Hmm? Am I seeing double or are you two twins?"

Roxas's eyes widen as he saw… a younger Axel. _… A-Axel!?_ Roxas kept staring dumbly at the younger Axel while he and a younger, no-scarred Saix stood by before the younger Axel came up to them.

"Hey, so… who are you two? My name's Lea, got it memorized?" The red head spoke cheerfully, sounding almost identical to his Nobody self. "And ya didn't answer my question- are you both twins?"

Roxas blinked at this. _L-Lea? … This is… this is definitely Axel's original self!_ Right now, the Nobody was resisting the urge to just stand up and hug him.

Ven answered since Roxas looked too… 'star struck' if that was the right word. "No, we're not twins…" He sighed, glancing away before Lea snatched his wooden Keyblade away. "H-hey!"

Lea chuckled, looking it over. "You still play with toy swords, kid? That's cute." Then he tossed it to the side, reaching into his bag. "Now _this_ right here… Ta da!" He pulled out a pair of Frisbees, hanging them loosely on his fingers. "What do ya think? Pretty cool, huh?"

Roxas finally snapped out of his little trance at seeing Axel's original self upon noticing the Frisbees. _… Axel… I wonder if he's doing okay…_ "... So you're Lea?" Roxas asked, standing up.

"Ah, so the other boy _can_ speak!" Lea smiled, nudging Roxas playfully. "Yeah, it's Lea- got it memorized?"

"Lea, we have to get going, we don't have time to waste here." Saix's younger and original self snapped.

"Oh come off it Isa, let me have a little fun." Lea rolled his eyes. "You can be such a stickler sometimes, sheesh…"

Roxas couldn't help but give a chuckle, murmuring softly, "... I hope things go well for you…"

Lea blinked at that before looking at the two with a smile once more. "Hey, what're your names, you two?"

"...I'm Ventus- this is Roxas… But why do you need to know?" Ven frowned, murmuring, "Not like we'll see each other again…"

Lea chuckled, nudging Ventus playfully. "Heh, whatever you say- but alright, Ventus, let's fight!"

"Fight? Why would I want to do that?" Ven frowned, growing confused. "I'm not really a fighter…"

Roxas chuckled as he looked over at his look alike, shrugging. "Why not? It'll be fun to have a small spar." _This must be what sparked a connection between Axel and myself… Maybe because I looked like Ven here, Axel became my best friend._

Lea nodded, grinning in excitement. "Yeah- besides, ya afraid to lose? C'mon!" He then jumped back, getting into a battle-ready stance. "Hope you're ready, you two- we're going for a battle royale!"

Roxas blinked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait… TWO? You mean ME too?" he asked in shock.

Lea chuckled, shrugging. "Yeah, why not? Or are you all bark and no bite? C'mon- show me what you've got, Roxas!"

"But I don't have anything to fight with!" Roxas quickly said. "I'll just watch!"

"Oh… Roxas, you can use this." Ven said as he threw a wooden sword he… got from his pocket.

Roxas blinked frowning as he looked it over. "Gee… thanks…" _This better not mess up the timeline!_ He picked it up, sighing. "Fine, we'll do a free-for-all." He gave a small grin, though.. He already knew Lea's moveset as Axel- this might be pretty fun…

The young Nobody, before he knew it, was having fun play fighting against Lea and Ven. It was a lot different to play fight than it was to actually battle, he's done this a few times in the virtual Twilight Town, but it felt nice to just take it easy and not have anything big on the line, other than pride.

Eventually, though, Lea dropped his Frisbees and fell on his butt, panting heavily. "Y-you… had enough?" he weakly asked. "Because I'm… willin' to… call it a draw if you are!"

Roxas looked over at Ven, who looked like he could still go on, but Roxas himself looked ready to drop from that small scuffle. _I need to fix this, and fast…_

Isa rolled his eyes as he said, crossing his arms. "You know, the only thing you've done was have a big fat 'L' print that stands for 'Loser', 'Lame' and 'Laughable'. You've got to step up your game, Lea."

The redhead's jaw dropped, glancing up at Isa with a bit of mock anger. "Wha- isn't this the part where ya… I dunno, cheer me up or something? You know, 'You're just having a bad day', or 'That's what you get for pulling your punches!' Sheesh, some friend here…"

"..." Roxas looked at Isa, frowning in confusion. _Saix was so… different… Yeah he's insulting Lea, but he's doing it good naturedly…_

"Oh, so you want me to_ lie_?" Isa smirked.

Lea rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit. "Sheesh, you see what I have to deal with here?" He smiled at Ven and Roxas, leaning back. "Sure hope ya don't have friends like _him_!"

Roxas gave Lea a smile back, really missing Axel right now, the only one in the Organization who cared. Ven gave a smile of his own, but for a different reason.

"Well, we'd better go now, Lea." Isa said, turning around. "We have to hurry after all."

Lea sighed but nodded. "Right." He stood up, poking both of them on the forehead. "Now… make sure you have my name memorized you two!"

Ven blinked, looking at the finger with crossed eyes before chuckling. "Right… It's Illegal, right?" Lea pouted, and Ven began to laugh. "Sorry, couldn't resist!" Then he frowned a bit. "...But you gotta go already? That sucks…"

"Hey, I'm sure we'll meet again!" Lea said with a smile.

Roxas nodded before he said, "... I'll see you again, Lea…" _And by that I mean your Nobody in 10 to 11 years._

Lea nodded, turning around and following Isa. "Yeah, see you around, Roxas, Ven."

Isa rolled his eyes, turning back to Lea with a mock irritation. "What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?"

Lea shrugged, smiling brightly. "Hey, I want to make sure every person I meet remembers me, that way I can live on in people's memories when I'm gone."

"I know I won't ever forget you- trust me, I try all the time." the blue haired boy said with a slight chuckle.

"Good, that means I'm immortal~" Lea laughed.

Roxas gave a sad smile, overhearing every word. _That's why he seemed so hurt when I didn't remember him in the digital Twilight Town… he wants to make sure everyone, especially his friends, remember him. And knowing that I didn't… that… must have hurt…but hey! It's not like I _asked_ to forget him!_

Ven smiled softly, muttering to himself, "Must be nice… knowin' who your friends are…" He glanced up at the sky longingly before looking over at Roxas. "Hey, uh… so you were saying beforehand? I might be doing something- what is it?"

Roxas blinked before looking at Ven, frowning a bit. "... Are we… friends, Ven? Like real friends or just… someone you tolerate?"

Ven blinked in surprise, but he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Well… you hid the fact that you have a Keyblade from me… but I guess I can understand- so yeah, we're friends. Not the _best_ of friends…" Then he smiled, putting a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "But you're the only one I have right now… so thanks for sticking by me."

Roxas sighed, nodding. "Yeah… I guess. And… Ven, you wouldn't do something to really hurt me on purpose, right?"

Ven frowned, easily nodding. "Yeah, of course! Why would I hurt the one person who's stuck by me and hasn't told me to go home, or just brushed me off?" He chuckled a bit, shrugging. "I'd have to be stupid to do _that_!"

The Nobody blinked before sighing. _Right… so he_ doesn't_ know then…_ "Well… that's good at least." He panted a bit as he was trying to regain his composure. "So… what do you… plan to do now?"

Ven sighed, shrugging. "I… dunno." he muttered softly, glancing up at the sky. "I don't want to go home… Not yet, at least- but… Maybe if I go to Disney Town, I'll have some time to cool off, ya know?"

"Oh… right… you still have the passes." Roxas said with a nod. "Well… I guess we could go…" he took a deep breath, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead.

Ven looked at Roxas in concern, just now noticing Roxas's state "Are you… okay? You don't look so good, are you sick?"

Roxas gave him a small smile, shaking his head. "... I'm fine… probably just tired is all." _Until I find out how Ven is sapping my energy and how to stop it… I-I don't want him to know, it'd just make him feel worse…_

Ventus frowned in more concern, but he slowly nodded. "Well… alright, I guess…" He sighed, making his Keyblade Armor form. _I'm not sure what Roxas is hiding from me… but I'll let him tell me when he's comfortable… It'd just better not be too horrible…_"You coming?"

Roxas nodded as he held onto Ven's armor. "Let's… get going. To Disney Town…"

* * *

Ven frowned in concern, glancing back at Roxas. "Right… Maybe you should take a nap when we get there or something…"

"I'd rather not…" Roxas said with a frown. "But if I fall again, I may not survive a third time."

Ven paused at that, but he continued to fly in the right direction. "W-wait… You fell off twice!? And you _survived_!? The Lanes Between are pure darkness- it's why we wear armor!"

"... I guess that coat I wear keeps me safe from the darkness." Roxas answered. "... So how far is this Disney Town?"

Ven shrugged, glancing around a bit. "I'm not sure… It might take… I dunno- ten minutes to get there? It's probably not too far, if that Scrooge guy came from Disney Town himself…"

"Yeah, hopefully not…" Roxas said tiredly. _Because if I hang on to you any longer… I'm going to pass out._

Thankfully, before too long, the two look alike boys soon came to a fun looking world that looked like the passes. Ven quickly landed into the world known as Disney Town and dispelled his armor. Roxas almost fell, he wobbled as soon as they landed but quickly regain his composure. "S-sorry, must've tripped…"

Ven frowned, helping Roxas back on his feet. "I dunno, Roxas… Maybe you _should_ lay down for a bit…" _I want him to tell me on his own… but he looks like he's about to faint at any moment- completely different from before…_

Roxas just shook his head, now panting lightly. "I just have to walk it off… don't worry about me. Maybe… we should go our separate ways… you know, to… look around for a bit." _If I keep staying like 5 feet from you, I'm gonna pass out, at least I can have some time to recover a bit from this._

Ven hesitated, but he slowly nodded. "Alright, I guess…" Then he frowned, hastily adding, "B-but you'd better come back here in about… 4 hours- okay? I'll meet you here!"

"S-sure, that's… fine." Roxas nodded as he wasted no time to turn around and began walking away. _Whew… that was close…_

Not looking where he was going, the Nobody bumped into someone wearing… white tights? "Wah?" He blinked in shock at that. "Who the heck…?"

"Hey! Watch where you- I mean careful there! You should always watch where you're going!" A big fat… cat… thing in a giant suit said.

Roxas blinked at the big fat cat thing wearing white and red tights with a cape. "... Uh… Hi-"

"I am Captain JUSTICE! I'm here to help those in need and in trouble! So… what do you need help with, huh?" the… cat thing said, calling himself Captain Justice.

Roxas blinked, any way he looked at it, this 'Captain Justice' looks like a big poser. "Uh…"

"You look like you're about halfway dead… I know! Let Captain Justice slap you awake!" 'Captain Justice' said with enthusiasm and raised his huge hand.

Roxas jumped and quickly said, "No! No! I don't need any smacking, okay? I'm… uh… Ah, why don't you tell me about this place?"

"... What? That's it?" 'Captain Justice' said with a grumble. "Well, fine. This here is the festival held by Queen Minnie herself- it's all about fun and games, but watch out, you may never know where danger lurks, and that's when Captain Justice comes to save the day!"

"... Right…" Roxas wasn't really sure what to say to this. "Uh… thanks… I guess…"

The big cat grinned, posing confidently. "And don't you forget that _Captain Justice_ is the one who solved all your problems- that's justice with a J! So don't forget ta vote for him!"

"... Uh… vote?" Roxas asked, frowning in confusion. _What's he mean by that?_

"Oh never you mind. If you don't have any other problems, Captain Justice is going out to find more troubles!" And with that, the strange guy ran off somewhere.

"... What a weird guy." Roxas said to himself, sweatdropping. But the Nobody sighed in relief as he felt his energy returning, he was feeling so much better. "... That's more like it…" _But if I don't tell Ven about this… he's going to keep sucking me dry without knowing… What should I do? I don't want to hurt his feelings… but…_

* * *

Then Roxas's head perked up, hearing someone complaining nearby. "Oh darn it all! If these balloons don't get hung soon, this is going to be a much less festive town than it should be…"

The Nobody looked over to see it… looked like a female duck wearing a fancy purple dress. _Huh… She looks very similar to Donald._ Curious now, Roxas approached her, cautiously tapping her shoulder. "Uh… Excuse me, do you need some help, miss?"

"Hmm?" The duck turned and smiled at Roxas politely. "M-may I help you, young man? Are you looking for someone, perhaps?" Despite her polite tone, Roxas noticed a slight tremor in her voice, and her eye was twitching.

Roxas gave her a nervous smile. _If she IS anything like Donald, then she must have a short temper too, maybe even shorter considering she's… well… a girl. _"I was just wondering… You look like you could use some help- not that you're not… you know, doing a good job, just that… maybe you'd _like_ some help?"

The duck quickly shook her head, giving a slightly strained smile now. "N-no, no, it's fine, although I appreciate your help young man! I am Lady Daisy- and what's your name?"

"... I'm Roxas, it's nice to meet you Lady Daisy." Roxas said as politely as he could, remembering the Queen of Hearts back in Wonderland and how bad of a temper she had.

Lady Daisy smiled at him before turning back to the balloons and her mood soured a bit as she huffed slightly. "Now if only I could get these balloons in the right places…" she muttered to herself, putting her hands on her hips. "I swear, 'Captain Justice' is putting too much work into getting votes instead of actually helping!"

"Captain Justice isn't helping you with this?" Roxas frowned. "He seemed pretty eager to help anyone in need…"

Lady Daisy sighed, shaking her head. "His real name is Pete, and no, if it looks hard or takes a lot of effort, he won't do it."

"... Really? He seemed disappointed when I gave him an easy task." Roxas said, crossing his arms in a bit of annoyance. _So in other words… nothing we give him will satisfy him._

Lady Daisy gave a small frown as she then added, "Not to mention he's the one who put all the balloons in one spot- apparently it'll make this area more festive… But it's not just this one area that needs to be more festive! Honestly, I can't believe that guy sometimes!"

Roxas remembered that time in the digital Twilight Town, where he had to get a quick job to make some munny for the beach, which never happened, and one of the jobs were to set up the posters for the Struggle Tournament all over town. As he thought of that situation, this gave the Nobody an idea. "Hey, if it's alright with you, Lady Daisy, maybe I could put up those balloons where they should go?"

The duck blinked in surprise before smiling happily. "Oh my, you would do that Roxas? I would _love _to have some help with these balloons!" Then she frowned a bit, sighing. "But… are you sure you're up to the task? A bunch of these balloons are to be placed along roofs and other tough to reach spots…"

"I can do it, I've done something like this before too, so no need to worry." Roxas said with a wink.

"Well… alright, here, and try not to pop or lose them." Daisy said as she handed the boy the balloons.

"Thanks!" Roxas smiled as he found a nearby skateboard. "Hmmm…" The Nobody got on the skateboard and began going, he did some tricks as he tied up the balloons in their proper areas.

As the Nobody continued to breeze along, Daisy's jaw dropped at how fast Roxas was going. _Oh my…! How is he so fast? This is practically a town record- I've NEVER seen anybody put up balloons so fast, especially without losing or popping any!_

In about three minutes flat, Roxas finished hanging all the balloons in their proper places and he skateboard back to Daisy before stopping and getting off. "Well? Did I do good?"

Daisy had her beak wide in shock as she looked around slowly. "...I- t-that is…" She took a moment to regain her composure before she smiled brightly. "That was incredible, Roxas- you just completed it in less than 3 minutes when it would normally take over an hour!"

Roxas gave a small smile, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "Heh, well this was a bit easier than back home, at least I had a skateboard here."

Daisy smiled, before she perked up again. "Hey… do you think you could help me with one more thing?"

"Sure, what is it?" Roxas felt so full of energy now. _It's odd, really- I suddenly feel like I can do absolutely anything!_

The female duck chuckled at his enthusiasm, it was like he was a little kid on sugar rush. "Well, there are some monsters going around town attacking some of the townsfolk, I was hoping maybe you could clean them up before something really bad happens?"

Roxas nodded, pumping his fist confidently. "Sure, they shouldn't be too ha-"

"Now! Now! Let Captain Justice take care of these so-called monsters! I'm sure kids these days just like causing trouble for everyone." Captain Justice, or Pete, said as he came running over to them, obviously thinking 'monsters' meant 'children'.

Lady Daisy scowled, turning to Pete in irritation. "Pete, you no-good scoundrel! This young man is doing what you _claim_ to do better! So why don't you just run along and keep playing pretend while Roxas here actually helps keep our town _festive_, hmm!? I swear, sometimes you're worse than Donald!"

Roxas blinked at hearing the name, but that was all the reaction he showed to the familiar name as Pete frowned. "Hmph! I'll show you I can do better!"

Roxas watched him go running off into town… only to come back running a few minutes later, screaming, "Waaah! No way, are you crazy? I'm not risking my life for this!" Pete snapped at Daisy as he kept going.

"... For a fat cat, he sure can run." Roxas chuckled.

Daisy sighed in irritation, rubbing her forehead with her left wing. "And now you see how irritating he can be on a daily basis… Pete always causes trouble- but it's always worse during these festivals, because we give out prizes at the end of each day…"

"Prizes?" Roxas asked, blinking in surprises. _I didn't know there were prizes… That's interesting…_

"Yes." someone else said, walking over to them, it looked like a mouse with a crown and a pink dress. "You see, the one who gets the most votes will get the Million Dreams Award, and I'm afraid Pete's only doing this to get his hands on the prize."

The Nobody frowned at this before sighing with a shrug. "Selfish, but I guess there are people like him around. Now… I'm going to go see if I can clean up the town of these monsters." Roxas winked at them as he head into town.

The mouse blinked, turning to Daisy. "Daisy… who was that? I saw a boy just like him a few minutes ago, talking to the Duck nephews and made some ice cream!"

Daisy blinked, surprised. "Really? Well he said his name was Roxas."

"Roxas… The other boy I met was named Ventus." the mouse said in wonder.

"I guess they're twins, kind of like how you and Mickey look alike, Queen Minnie." Daisy winked.

Roxas chuckled to himself as he heard the conversation before going out of earshot. The Nobody soon saw a lot of these… animal people screaming as they were being chased by Unversed. "Oh man, they're here too?" The Nobody grumbled as he summoned the Kingdom Key. "Oh well, it's as good time as any to brush up on my skills."

* * *

With that said, he easily charged at the first Unversed, beginning to smack away at it. "Hyah! C'mon, that all you got!?" Roxas still felt as energized as he could be, easily making the Unversed disappear. "Who's next?"

"HELP!" someone suddenly screamed. "I'M BEING ATTACKED, SOMEONE HELP MEEEE!"

Roxas looked over to see it was another duck, a much bigger duck than Donald or Daisy, or even Scrooge. "Hang on mister!" The Nobody quickly jumped and striked at the Unversed and it disappeared. "Are you okay?"

The big duck blinked before looking at his savior. "Oh thank you!" He shook the Nobody's hand quickly. "I thought I was a goner for sure!"

"O-oh uh, it was no problem, sir!" Roxas said as his body trembled a bit from the rough shake. "Uh… what's your name?"

The big duck saluted, and Roxas just noticed he was wearing an aviator's helmet. "The name's Launchpad McQuack, best pilot in Disney Town! What's your name?"

"I'm Roxas! Uh… nice to meet you, Launchpad." Roxas said, introducing himself. _What kind of name is 'Launchpad'?_ "Anyway, I'm glad you're safe, but I have to go, there's still more I have to clean up."

The duck nodded happily, shaking Roxas's hand roughly again. "Well thanks again, Mr. Roxy! I'd better help gettin' everybody else outta here while you do your job!"

Roxas nodded, giving a slightly awkward smile. "Sure, heh, you do that." Launchpad took off. "... What a weird guy." The rest of the process was pretty easy since the Unversed were pretty weak here, and before he knew it, the Nobody was done.

"Whew, looks like that's over with." Roxas smiled to himself .

"Wow, you did better than I thought!" Roxas jumped when he heard Queen Minnie behind him.

"O-oh… uh, you really think so, uh, your Majesty?" Roxas said a bit awkwardly, he had a faint memory of a 'King Mickey', and this Queen Minnie looks pretty similar to him.

Queen Minnie nodded, smiling happily. "Why, of course- you were able to defeat those monsters like they were hand puppets! And you even kept everybody safe while doing it- thank you _very_ much!"

Roxas couldn't help but blush a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well you know… they weren't too hard and it's nice to help people." _Yeah, it really does feel nice, even though I don't have a heart…_

"Would you and Ven like to stay for the Million Dreams Award? We're going to announce the winner in about ten minutes." Queen Minnie asked the Nobody.

Roxas smiled as he nodded, leaning back a bit and putting his hands behind his head. "Sure, why not?"

As if on cue, Roxas heard a familiar voice calling to him. "Roxas!" Ven rushed over, smiling happily. "This place is a blast- I even helped with making three ice cream cones! Here, I got one for you!" He held out… a single ice cream cone with what seemed like a million scoops on top of it!

"... O_O' U-uh… Ven, that was nice, but… d-don't you think that's a bit too much?" Roxas said with a sweatdrop. _I mean I know I eat a lot of sea salt ice cream, but THIS is ridiculous! I'd DIE if I eat all this!_

Ven blinked, pausing from his own humongous ice cream cone! "Uh… no, not really- it's really delicious, and it's actually easy to pack away…" He smiled, holding out the cone to Roxas. "Go ahead, try it a bit!"

"... Hehehehe…" Roxas sweatdropped even more. _Oh great… now what do I do…?_

Nine minutes later… the streets were literally filled with ice cream. Ven was a bit ticked off at his look alike. "You didn't have to spill EVERY. SINGLE. SCOOP."

"I didn't spill it… All I said was 'FREE ICE CREAM EVERYONE' and they all kinda charged at me and made me drop it." Roxas said with a nervous chuckle. _I REALLY didn't expect them to charge at me like that- not my smartest plan…_

Ven huffed, rolling his eyes. "You'd better _think_ next time, Roxas- it was really good too, I made it just for us…" He sighed a bit, sitting on a single spot _not_ covered in ice cream. _If only Terra and Aqua were here- they'd be able to try it too…_

"Hey, I did manage to save two scoops…" Roxas said as he held out the cone, and indeed, there were two flavors left, one raspberry and the other vanilla. "If you want, we can eat these…"

Ven glanced up at Roxas, "..." He smiled slightly, shrugging. "Well… I guess so… Thanks Roxas…"

The boys chuckled as they began licking the ice cream away. Then they heard Queen Minnie make an announcement over the speaker. "Will everyone please gather to the center of town? We are going to announce the winner of the Million Dreams Award!"

Roxas looked over and said with a small grin, "Hey Ven, let's see who won before we hit the Realms, what do you say?"

Ven blinked in surprise before he nodded, smiling. "Heh.. Sure, why not? I'd like to see how this turns out- maybe Huey, Dewey, and Louie won the award…"

The Nobody shrugged as they gathered to the center… only for Pete to bump into them and caused them to drop their ice cream cones! "Wah!"

"Move aside, I've got an award to get!" Pete said rudely as he kept going, like he didn't care he just bumped them.

Roxas frowned at that, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Hmph- rude much?" He grumbled, glancing at Ven. "C'mon, let's get closer to see who won!"

But Ven was still staring at the dropped ice cream, frowning in dismay. "... That was… our last cone!"

"... Ven… it's okay, we can always get more later." Roxas said, hoping to calm him down. "The ice cream machine is free anyway, right?"

Ven sighed, but he slowly nodded. "Yeah… I guess you're right…" He perked up a bit, but he still seemed upset about what had happened. "C'mon- let's get a bit closer, what do you say?"

The two boys made it to the center, where there was a stage. The townsfolk were all gathered there too, including Pete and Launchpad. And on stage, Roxas smiled to see Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy beside her.

Queen Minnie smiled as she began her speech, "Now, you have all done very well in the festival this year, and I am happy to see it was a success and went without too much of a hitch."

"Hmph, just skip to where you say my name." Pete grumbled from the back impatiently.

The queen continued, "Now without further ado, I will announce the winner of the Million Dreams Award." she took the letter from Daisy, and she opened it. "Oh my goodness, we have multiple winners this year! The winners are; Terra, Aqua, Ven and Roxas!"

Everyone cheered loudly as they celebrated. Roxas was shocked while Ven was happier than a child on Christmas morning. "That's great! When were Terra and Aqua here?" He grinned at Roxas, fist pumping. "Well, either way, I can't believe it- we actually _won_!"

"... We… WON? … But we_ just got here_… a-and I thought there could only be _one_ winner." Roxas kept blinking as if this whole thing was surreal.

Of course, this angered Pete as he shoved them out of his way, storming onstage. "Out of my way! What do you mean by that!? You better re-count those votes, because I know everyone voted for Captain Justice, I've made sure of it!" Instead, all he heard was crickets. "Uh… w-what about the rogue racer, Captain Dark!?" Still crickets.

Queen Minnie glared at him, crossing her arms in slight irritation. "The votes were all taken and carefully counted for, it was no mistake Pete." Pete was trembling in anger as the Queen continued, her glare warming into a small smile. "But you did get a few votes, because the people were happy that you helped and take care of them when they needed it."

But this didn't please Pete at all, it was win or no votes at all in his book. "I don't need their lousy votes, just cough up my prize!" And with that, he reached out towards her.

"PETE!" Both Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy snapped, stopping him. "I've been tolerant of you, but this is going too far! How dare you cast their votes away like they were nothing to you. It's time you learn your lesson, Pete. GUARDS!"

Roxas tensed up, but he blinked in surprise upon seeing… _brooms_ walking up to Pete. _…Are you serious!? The… the guards in this place are _brooms_? What's next, a bucket is the secretary?_

The brooms walked up to Pete and picked him up without any problems, Pete yelled as he struggled angrily. "Hey! Let me go! I deserved that award!"

* * *

Queen Minnie sighed as the Brooms took Pete away and she turned back to the audience, "I apologize for that… Anyway, will the winners please come up?"

Ven smirked as he gave a playful elbow to Roxas, who looked at him awkwardly. "Come on, don't tell me you have stage fright."

"I-I don't…" Roxas frowned as he blushed in embarrassment. "It's just…" _What if somebody checks the records of this year's award winners? I don't want to be shown in the record!_

Ven chuckled, pulling Roxas up onstage. "C'mon, it'll be alright- besides, we shouldn't keep them waiting!"

Ven had to keep dragging the reluctant Nobody up to the stage, who really wished he hadn't given them his name.

Queen Minnie smiled to them, giving a happy nod. "I'm so proud of you two. Unfortunately it seems the other winners couldn't make it here, so Ven and Roxas will have to take the prize in their stead."

Ven blinked in surprise before he pouted. "What? Aww… I was hoping they were here too… But I guess they both already left…"

"Uh… excuse me… Your Majesty… I appreciate it, really I do, but… can you please not put my name down in the record? … I have my reasons." Roxas said to her with big, puppy dog eyes.

Queen Minnie blinked in surprise at that, as did Daisy beside her. "Oh my, are you sure?" The Nobody hastily nodded. "Well… I suppose if you want, we don't have to make note of your achievement- but we'll always remember you both!" Then she pulled out two bowls of ice cream. "And as an extra bonus, we made something special- an ice cream flavor just for you both! Double crunch ice cream for Ven, and chocolate and vanilla swirl for Roxas."

"Wow, fancy." Roxas said as he looked at the ice creams. Ven's had a mouse chocolate hat on his pink ice cream with two chocolate Keyblade shapes on the side. Roxas's ice cream also had a mouse hat, but this one was blue candy, and he had a big chocolate X in the front and a candy Keyblade in the back.

The two look alikes took their respective ice creams while the audience watched them, wanting them to taste it. Both Roxas and Ven nodded to each other, "Well, looks like we get our ice cream after all." Roxas chuckled to him.

Ven nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I guess so- c'mon, let's dig in!" And with that, both Keyblade Wielders took a few bites of their ice cream. Although Roxas loved the sea-salt ice cream, this one was pretty dang good too! "Whoa! This is so good!"

"Yeah, same here!" Ven smiled, tasting it again. "...Mmm, wow- it's amazing!"

Queen Minnie chuckled at that, nodding to them gratefully. "I'm glad you two boys like it."

"I guess it's a good thing we came here today." Roxas said a smile, seeing Ven looking a lot better since what happened in Radiant Garden.

Ven nodded, giving a bright grin. "Yeah, I guess so- I wish the two of them were here to take their ice cream too… but…" He shrugged. "I still enjoyed coming here!"

"You two, along with Terra and Aqua, are always welcomed here." Queen Minnie said to them as they nodded.

After they stepped down and Queen Minnie finished up her speech, Roxas just finished his ice cream before he thought about the whole energy draining issue- he felt fine now but if he keeps sticking with Ven, he might not be able to stand by the time they face another Unversed. "... Hey, uh… Ven…" he started, not sure if he should tell him.

The blond blinked, glancing over at Roxas in surprise. "Hmm? What is it, Roxas?" He smiled, holding a small trophy. "I'm sorry- just… I'm still shocked about the fact that we all won!"

Roxas bit his lip, he really didn't want to rain down on his look alike's parade, but if he didn't tell him now then it could end up fatal to him. Unlike with Axel, Ven has a heart and it could be hurt easily. "Listen… I don't want you to take this the wrong way… but… Well I know we're friends, maybe not the best, but we are friends and no matter what, I know you would never do anything to hurt me on purpose." he started, getting Ven's attention.

Ven blinked at that, before he slowly put down the trophy. "Uh… yeah, of course I wouldn't… so what's this about?" _Is this about whatever Roxas is hiding? …A-am I hurting him!?_

Roxas noticed the troubled look on his look alike's face, and he hastily said, "N-now it's nothing too serious, okay? It's just… um… when Vanitas grabbed your head during our battle he… somehow… made it to where you… you can… sap away my energy whenever I'm near you." he said that last part quickly, like ripping off a band aid.

Ven's eyes widened in shock, and his jaw nearly dropped. "W-what!? I'm… sapping your energy?" _Is that why I'm suddenly feeling so much stronger!? _he groaned. "Oh my… I-I… what've I done?"

The Nobody frowned, he knew Ven might've taken it hard but… he didn't think the boy would feel _this_ guilty! Thankfully they were alone in the corner of town since everyone else was too busy partying back in the center. "It's fine, Ven! Really! You just-"

Ven shook his head, quickly stopping Roxas. "I… I didn't mean to do that! I… was _that_ why you looked so beat up and tired? I…" _If Roxas hadn't told me, h-he could have died! ...Heck… if I don't find a way to stop it… he could _still_ die from me draining all his energy!_

"VENTUS!" Roxas shouted as he grabbed the boy's shoulders, not caring that more of his energy was being sapped by doing this. "Listen to me! I know you can stop it Ven, unlike Xi… Xi… s-someone else I knew… _you_ can control it and you can stop it! You just have to figure out how, okay?" _That was weird… I didn't know anyone like that… Why did I say 'Xi' for?_

Ven frowned worriedly, but he sighed. "I… r-right…" He slowly nodded. "I just… have to figure out how…" _But… how long will that be? Will I figure it out too late?_

Roxas sighed before he spoke up,patting his look alike's shoulder reassuringly. "Okay, Ven, just relax. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but… I think… Hmm… I do notice a pattern here, I think your… 'ability' is tied to your emotions… When you were happy, I didn't feel as drained as before, but when you were sad, troubled, angry or guilty, I felt so much weaker so quickly. It's possible the more negative your emotions are the stronger the sapping gets."

Ven gulped at that, but he took a deep breath. "I… r-right… So negative emotions don't help either of us… I-I got it…" He looked a bit nervously at Roxas. "I don't know how well I'll do… b-but I'll try to not hurt you, I promise!"

"No, no, you shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that." Roxas said. "It won't work… but I was just giving you a possibility of how it works, so maybe you can find a way to, I don't know, turn it off?" Then Roxas thought of something. "I know, why don't you try mind over matter? Wish, with every part of your being, that you do not want to hurt or sap my strength away!"

Ven blinked at that before he nodded. "R-right!" He closed his eyes and began to wish… he wished harder than he had ever wished before, squeezing his fists tightly. _I don't want to hurt Roxas anymore… he's my friend, not my energy source, so stop it! STOP IT! No more sucking away my friend's energy like a leech! ENOUGH!_

Roxas blinked as he suddenly felt tingly before… it stopped. The tiredness didn't increase rapidly anymore, and he began feeling better. "Hey, I think it worked!" Ven's eyes quickly flew open and he saw Roxas smiling in relief. "You did it, Ven!" he suddenly hugged his look alike!

Ven blinked in surprise before his eyes began to tear up, and he hugged Roxas back tightly. "I-I… I did it… Roxas, I-I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to…" He trailed off, sniffing a bit.

"... Ven, it's okay… I know you didn't do it on purpose. But… maybe this could be a good thing, maybe if it's necessary, I could lend you some of my power, but only if you don't totally suck me dry." Roxas said with a shrug, but then he saw Ven's face. "... Or you know, we can just forget about it completely."

Ventus gulped, quickly nodding. "Y-yeah… that's… That's a smart idea…" _Vanitas… he's responsible for this- to… to think he nearly made me kill Roxas… I won't forgive him!_

Roxas sighed before he looked up, giving a weak smile. "Well… shall we get going? I'm not sure what you plan to do, Ven, don't you want to go back home or at least look for Terra or Aqua?"

Ven sighed, looking down before glancing up at Roxas again, a fire in his eyes. "I… Roxas, I need to get stronger. I think they don't believe I can handle it- that I'm too weak. Well… what if I train somewhere?" he smiled a bit. "Maybe… I can work with them, and get back at Vanitas for what he's done!"

Roxas nodded, smiling. "Yeah, good idea, maybe we can train together, you could show me some of your moves and I could show you some of mine! Do you know any place like that? I've heard there's a world that has a coliseum that trains 'heroes in the making'." _Ugh… That Phil was such a pain… I guess we're going back there, maybe he's not so bad 11 years ago._

Ven smiled at that, shaking his head. "That sounds like a good place- I don't know anywhere else, so let's get going!" he then glanced down at the trophy with a small frown. "...You know… I'm not sure where to put this…"

"Oh, just put it in your pocket." Roxas shrugged. "... Didn't you know you could fit a lot of things in your pocket? It's weird, right?"

Ven blinked at that, whistling lowly. "Wow… Even stuff that you can't normally fit?" his surprised expression slowly changed to a thoughtful one. "You know… I wonder if you could fit a tent in your pocket- I've got to try that sometime…"

"... Um… you actually could… uh… let's not try that right now, though." Roxas sweatdropped at the thought of it. "Um… come on, let's get to that world I mentioned."

Ven nodded at that, grinning. "Right- let's go!" he summoned his armor, quickly making the circle in the sky appear.

Roxas then took his hand, allowing the armor on him and jumped on the glider, before the two boys flew out into the Realms of Between once more, heading to the Olympus Coliseum.

* * *

Roxas was a lot more relieved now that Ven wasn't subconsciously sucking away his energy. Still… _I wonder why he was able to do that with only_ me_ in the first place… maybe it's because we _do_ share some kind of connection- but still…_

Soon, they arrived at Olympus Coliseum… At least, Roxas _thought_ it was Olympus Coliseum- everything looked completely different. There was a huge mountain that broke through the clouds, a giant town below it… It looked nothing like what Roxas was familiar with, and it was completely different from when Sora visited it.

_This must be the Olympus Coliseum 10 years in the past._ Roxas thought to himself. _Looks… really different._

Ven looked around as they landed, frowning in thought. "Hmm… So I guess we go in and register for the games?"

"Yeah, I think that's how we do it." Roxas nodded.

Before either boys could move on, though, a strange and chubby, half man, half goat was running for cover somewhere and seems to be hiding. Roxas blinked, recognizing him as this chubby little goat man who put him through such harsh training! Not to mention Demyx really, really hated this guy.

The goat groaned, muttering to himself. "Geez… The kid's relentless- how many times is he gonna follow me around and find me today!?"

Roxas stood frozen as memories of this guy filled his head, not because the memory was painful for him, but because this guy trained him so hard into the ground that it really does hurt just _thinking_ about it. _If he tries to train me again, I'm bolting. Ven can train all he wants, I'm not going to be a part of it._

Ven, however, had no such issues, and he tapped the guy's shoulder. "Hey, whatcha doin' there?"

To both of their surprise, the goat man suddenly yelped, before he quickly turned around. "I _told_ ya! I'm booked solid! N-O spells forget it! ...Huh? Who in Halicarnassus are you two? Am I seein' double or something? I'm busy!"

Roxas hissed as he grabbed Ven's arm. "What are you doing? This guy would-"

"PHIIIIIL!" someone suddenly shouted. A much younger Hercules was running over. "I'm all signed up! PHIIIIIIL!"

"Shh! Be quiet, can't you see I'm hiding?" Phil snapped at him.

"... Hiding from whom?" Roxas asked, blinking in confusion, he never knew Phil would be the type to run and hide from someone.

Then someone from behind them suddenly shouted, "Aha!" He rushed up to them, all decked out in armor and wearing an iron helmet. "Look, 'fess up already- I asked around and _everybody_ says _you're_ the guy. Trainer of heroes! C'mon Phil, _pleeeeease_! I really wanna be a hero!"

Roxas looked at this guy in shock, his jaw dropping. _Whoa… who's this guy? I've never seen him before._

"Look, I really would love to kid, but I'm booked already." Phil said, grumbling mostly. "And ya wanna know why? Two words- student-teacher ratio! I've already got my hands full with this one!"

Ven blinked at that, before holding up his fingers. "Wait… uh… One… two… uh…." _That's three words, not two…_

Roxas crossed his arms, whispering to Ven, "Phil can't count, so just forget it."

"But I promise you won't regret it and I'll work extra hard!" the boy said quickly, almost begging. "C'mon, please! I'm low-maintenance, I swear!"

Roxas had to give him credit; the guy's pretty enthusiastic. "Well Ven? Didn't you say you wanted to train too?"

Ven frowned, shrugging. "Well… yeah, but I wanted to do it on my own- in the games, you know? I don't really need a trainer, especially one who's already busy…"

Roxas shrugged as they missed what Phil said to the boy. "Well we still need to ask him where the registrations are, right- Wah!?" He jumped when he felt Vanitas's darkness nearby… and suddenly, they were surrounded by a horde of Unversed! "W-wha!?"

"Unversed!" Ven frowned, summoning his Wayward Wind and rushing forward to protect Phil. "C'mon Roxas, we'd better get to work!"

The helmet-wearing boy grinned confidently, rushing forward. "I'll help too- I'll show you what I'm made of, Phil!"

Hercules nodded, getting into a battle-ready stance. "Yeah- and I'll help too!"

Hercules was a lot slower than he was in the future, Roxas noted, as he takes too long to wind up his punches and sometimes loses his balance after he strikes. The helmet boy was doing pretty well though, he strikes fast and hard. Ven seems to be the most effective out of the three since he's used to fighting Unversed. Roxas himself… well, he's looking for Vanitas in the crowd really.

_I felt him… he was nearby… where'd he go? Did he just come here to flood us with Unversed? Why the heck would he do that?_ Roxas frowned as he hit an Unversed with his Kingdom Key.

Finally, though, Hercules defeated the last Unversed, panting heavily. "Phew… Heheh…" he sighed in relief, leaning back slightly. _Man, that was tough!_

"..." Phil groaned, taking a deep breath. _Well, there's only one way to fix this… _"Okay, change of plans- the Games are comin' up. So I'm gonna watch both your matches, _then_ I'll decide which rookie I'm gonna train. Got it?"

The helmet-wearing boy cheered happily. "SWEET! Thank you, _thank you_! I'm gonna go sign up _right_ now!" And with that, he began running up the stairs.

"Come on Ven, we better sign up too!" Roxas said to his look alike, not sure why he felt excited about this… maybe it was the Sora in him?

"Yeah!" Ven smiled, beginning to run towards the Coliseum too.

Phil spoke up, stopping them, "Wait a minute now, I'm sorry but the games are all filled up. Captain Eager there just took the last spot."

"Are you kidding me? There shouldn't be a limit to the rosters!" Roxas snapped, growling in irritation.

Phil shrugged. "Well then, clearly ya don't know how tournaments work! They have a set number of slots to fit in, and those who get in get the spot first!"

Hercules stammered a bit, frowning worriedly. "P-Phil, I don't understand- I thought you were_ my _trainer!"

Phil sighed, glancing back at Hercules with a stony expression. "You wanna be a true hero, Herc? Then you're gonna have to go out there and show that everything I've taught you so far is gonna pay off! And no more training sessions for a while, okay? Wouldn't be fair if I helped _you_ and not him!"

Roxas crossed his arms, frowning. He really wanted to try his skills in the games… he doesn't know why he does, he just does, and he never really did back when he was in the Organization, due to having to return to the castle after every mission. This irks him. _I'll find a way to get into the games._ Somehow, Sora's mischief has infected Roxas here, or maybe it was Ven who was rubbing off of him.

Meanwhile, Ven turned to Hercules, smiling. "Hey, cheer up man! So you gotta fight a couple of matches- no big deal. My name's Ventus- want me to help you train?" _I might be able to train as well if I do!_

"Really? You'll help me out? By the way, I'm Hercules, you can call me Herc for short." Hercules said, smiling happily.

Ventus chuckled, glancing over to the Nobody. "You coming Roxas?" he asked his look alike.

"Actually, I want to check something out, so you two go ahead." Roxas said to them as he walked into the stadium by himself.

The Nobody didn't hear what Ven or Hercules said, but he didn't care right now. Roxas did want to join the games, but… "... Maybe I'm just being stupid, why should I join it anyway? I don't want to get my name in the record…"

* * *

Roxas sensed some darkness nearby, before he heard someone come up behind him. "Roxas!?"

"WAH!" Roxas jumped at Terra's voice. "T-T-Terra?!" he yelped, spinning around to see the brown-haired man behind him.

Terra frowned a bit, crossing his arms in irritation. "So you didn't head home?" he sighed. "Roxas, you and Ven shouldn't be out here- it's dangerous, especially with Vanitas on the loose! You know what Master Xehanort said…"

"Well he's after Ventus, not me- and besides, I think Vanitas can tell the difference between me and Ven. Anyway… uh… what are you doing here, Terra?" Roxas asked, mostly to change the subject so he wouldn't have to answer why he was here, and he's sure Ven wouldn't want Terra to know he was here either.

"..." Terra sighed, glancing away. "You… you don't want to know, Roxas- just know that I'm competing in the Games. But you didn't answer my question- why are you here?" his gaze focused back on Roxas as he frowned. "As far as I know, the rounds are full- and you don't even have a weapon!"

Roxas crossed his arms and said, frowning a bit, "... Well… I came here for training too. I want to be able to defend myself… and maybe help you and Aqua out?"

Terra frowned even more at that, shaking his head. "No, Roxas- go home! You're not strong enough to fight off Vanitas, and I already said you don't even have a weapon to use! If you want to grow stronger, head back to the Land of Departure and ask to be Master Eraqus's student! I'm sure he'd be _glad_ to teach you…" he sounded a bit bitter at the end, glancing to the side.

This honestly surprised Roxas, "... What? You think Eraqus would train an outsider like me? …" Roxas sighed, remembering how Terra looked when Aqua told him about Eraqus's orders- it was the look of betrayal, something Roxas knows all too well, having the Organization betraying him. "... Terra, look, I can hold my own, okay? But you have to give me a chance to prove it to you."

Terra frowned in confusion at that, glancing back at Roxas. "...Huh? What do you mean by that, Roxas? What're you hiding from me?" he frowned, darkness beginning to surround his hand before he gasped and quickly dispelled it. _N-no! Ugh… I have to conquer the darkness in my heart before I grow angry and hurt someone by accident again!_

_I knew it, that darkness I was sensing _was_ Terra! … His darkness is growing…_ Roxas thought to himself. _That's not good… _"Who said I was hiding anything from you? I just said to give me a chance to prove myself."

Terra sighed, rubbing his head in a bit of aggravation. "Ugh… And how would you prove yourself, Roxas? I'll be honest- I don't even think you could beat a basic Unversed without a strong weapon, you said back at the Land of Departure that you never fought before!"

Roxas sighed and said, reluctantly nodding, "... Yeah, I suppose you're right. As a kid who lived in Twilight Town, hanging out with friends and trying to make the most out of his last seven days of Summer Vacation and the only real fighting experience I had was the Struggle Tournament, I wouldn't be able to do much against such enemies…" By this, Roxas was referring to his fake life in the digital Twilight Town.

Terra nodded, crossing his arms with a faint frown. "I know you want to be strong, Roxas… but you need to train first- in fact, I don't think you could defeat me if I didn't use my Keyblade!"

"Oh really? Are you that confident?" Roxas crossed his arms, but he decided to drop it, no need to cause an unwanted argument here. "Fine, fine, I won't do anything dangerous." _Not anything you'd know anyway._

Terra frowned a bit, but he sighed. "...Whatever- are you going to stay around here for a bit?" Roxas nodded at that. "Well… I suppose you could watch my matches then- at least so you understand more about how I fight without having to be in harm's way."

Roxas crossed his arms, frowning in thought. "... Well… I guess I could, but… the stands are full and the game tickets are sold out, I don't think I can." Roxas didn't know that for sure though, the reason why he said this was because he sensed Vanitas was nearby again and he wanted to find him before Vanitas finds Ven.

Terra frowned again, reluctantly nodding. "Well… if you can't watch, I suppose that's alright… just stick around here, alright? I'll bring you back myself when I'm done with my matches."

Roxas shrugged as Terra had to go into the arena now, giving the Nobody the time that he needed to find Vanitas. Looking around, Roxas made sure nobody else was near as he took out his black coat, hoping to use it to keep Terra from finding out at the very least. Putting it on, Roxas concealed his face once more with the hood before he followed where the darkness was.

As Roxas snuck around a corner, he noticed Vanitas and quickly ducked behind the corner again. The masked boy didn't notice him, thankfully, as he chuckled darkly, summoning Unversed after Unversed. "You know what to do! Now get to it- cause havoc in this stupid town!"

Roxas's eyes widen from under the hood as he saw this, this was his first time seeing someone summoning the Unversed. _So… the Unversed… they all come from HIM? That's… pretty disturbing, actually- it'd be like if all the Nobodies came from Xemnas… I'm glad I'm not an Unversed. _He shuddered at the mental image, taking a step back and accidentally knocking a can away.

Vanitas's head perked up, and he glanced over at the corner. "Who's there!?" he called out with a frown.

Roxas mentally cursed at the can. _Who drops a freaking can right in the middle of a stadium anyway!? It's not like they're short on TRASH CANS!_The Nobody grumbled, seeing as he had no choice but to walk out from the corner. "... Looks like we keep running into each other, eh Vanitas?"

Vanitas huffed. "I guess so, Roxas." Then he began to chuckle darkly. "You know… I've been looking for you again." he smirked under his mask, pulling out his Keyblade. "I'm curious… Who's stronger- you or Terra?"

Roxas frowned from under his hood, crossing his arms suspiciously. "... What? Are you going to make Terra fight me like you did with Ventus? … I'm guessing you'll try to use _his_ darkness to take him over, huh?" _After all, Terra's darkness is already growing pretty fast… I wouldn't be surprised if someone _did _use it against him._

Vanitas laughed at that, though, catching Roxas off-guard. "Not a chance- we're leaving his heart untouched, for now at least. No… Terra won't be fighting _you_…" he suddenly disappeared, and Roxas gasped, looking around worriedly before he heard the boy whispering evilly in his ear. "_You'll_ be fighting the man you hate the most…"

"What?" Roxas jumped away quickly, about to summon his Keyblade but Vanitas disappeared again. "Stop hiding already!" he growled angrily, looking around as fast as he could.

"Hmm… how about… no?" Vanitas's voice echoed all around him as he kept teleporting to different spots. "Tell me… how do you feel about darkness?"

"... Darkness?" Roxas frowned, he's never really thought about it before. "I don't really care so much about light or darkness, I'd rather they're together and make twilight." he said the same answer to Vanitas as he had to Eraqus… which seemed so long ago to him now.

Vanitas laughed harshly at that, and it sounded right behind him! Roxas spun around, but the masked boy was no longer there. "Twilight, hmm? Well… then I suppose you hate somebody who's pure darkness?"

"I never said I hated darkness, just that I prefer twilight. And let me guess… you're a being of pure darkness, is that it?" Roxas said, trying to keep calm while he tries to find where his opponent went.

"Oh, perhaps…" Roxas froze, feeling Vanitas poking the back of his head with his Keyblade. "But either way, _I'm_ not the one you're fighting…" And with that, an explosion of darkness engulfed Roxas's vision!

Roxas suddenly felt like his head was going to explode! He fell to his knees as he grabbed his head, grunting in pain before he cried out, "AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" After a few minutes, or what felt like an eternity to Roxas, the pain faded away and he panted, sweating profusely. He then noticed he was alone… no Vanitas or Unversed in the area. "What… what did he… do to me?"

Roxas groaned, slowly getting to his feet. "U-ugh… I feel… so heavy…!" _What… what did Vanitas _do_ to me?_ Then he froze, feeling a familiar presence in the nearby Coliseum. _No… No, it couldn't be… I-it just couldn't!_

A sinking feeling was in the pit of the Nobody's stomach as he hurried into the stadium, hoping against all hope that whom he sensed wasn't who he thinks it is. _How could HE be here?! Was that person in the black coat I saw back at the mine HIM? But why and how? Did HE time travel too?! I-is he trying to find me and bring me to the Organization!?_

Roxas, still having his hood covering his face, hurried through the arena, not caring that someone was scolding him for running in without being registered- he hardly even noticed whoever it was that tried to stop him. Roxas stopped short when he saw the last person he ever wanted to see again… and it looks like he just beat down that helmet-wearing boy he saw earlier. _No… No… NOOO! XEMNAS!_

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: Ooh, what have we here? Xemnas is here? How could that be I wonder… what was Vanitas doing there? Hmmm?**

**Key2DestNE: Heh… Those of you who know the games know what's really going on- and if you do, you've earned a free digital cookie, baked by yours truly!**

**DarkFoxKit: As for the whole 'Ven was sucking Roxas's life force' thing, don't think that won't go anywhere later on, it'll be pretty helpful later. And now… onto the questions. Hmm… There doesn't seem to be any, and any of the previous questions were already answered in this chapter. Someone did ask about when they'll find out Roxas can dual wield, but otherwise, we don't really have much to answer.**

**Key2DestNE: Alright, so basically what Vanitas did to Ven wa- wait… did you say we had NO questions!? *stares at DarkFoxKit in shock* None at all!? T-then- then what can we do NOW?! We just lost all our material!**

**DarkFoxKit: Hey, hey! Easy there Key! *crosses arms* Well, as for when they'll find out, we're not gonna give that away. But we will say that Roxas will be going with Terra again soon, so look forward to that. Oh, and Key, why did you leave that fangirl in the closet?**

**Key2DestNE: … *whistles innocently, leaning on the closet door* I don't know what you're talking about, Fox. Nope… not one bit.**

**DarkFoxKit: *glares and taps foot* Key… let her out now.**

**Key2DestNE: But Fox, if I do, then she'll run loose and drive poor Roxy nu- … *quickly opens the door, smiling widely* Have fun, fangirl~!**

**DarkFoxKit: …. Uhh… Key… how long did you keep her in there?**

**Key2DestNE: *As the raving mad fangirl dashed out in her search for Roxas, he shrugged.* Eh… about a week or two, why?**

**DarkFoxKit: Then why are there skeletons in there?**

**Key2DestNE: Eh? There's- ooooooh, THAT'S where I put the Halloween decorations! *pulls out a skeleton.***

**DarkFoxKit: ….. I'm going now. *takes the camera* Freaking Halloween…**

**Key2DestNE: *begins chasing after her* YOU MUST JOIN US ON THE WITCHING HOUR, SPOOKY AUTHOR!**

**DarkFoxKit: No! Now leave me alone! *begins to run away from Key2DestNE as he tried to put a pointy hat on her head* GET AWAY FROM M- *static***

***Then some text popped up.* Don't forget to review and ask any questions you might have, everybody!**


	10. Chapter 9: Keyblade Warriors

**Key2DestNE: Hey guys, time for a new chapter! I know you all have been excited for this next bit, and giving various theories for why Xemnas is here in the past. Well… this chapter, it's going to be revealed- along with a few other things~! *winks mysteriously***

**DarkFoxKit: Hee, hee, hee… well then… I hope you guys enjoy this. The chapter isn't quite as long as the last two we did, but it's got plenty of action and drama in it!**

**Key2DestNE: Well, there isn't much else to say- and I think everybody wants us to get to the chapter already. So without further ado, here it is- Chapter 10 of Roxas's Story inside Birth By Sleep!**

**DarkFoxKit: …Uh… what? *seems to be speaking into an earphone* … But didn't we just- … No, that's not until the END AN! … No, I said the END! … No! This is the beginning! … *looks over at Key* Key, do the disclaimer, I have a new… rookie to fire. *holds up a shotgun and begins walking backstage***

**Key2DestNE: … *gulp* Uh… r-right… Anyways, we don't own anything within the Kingdom Hearts franchise, not even the plot- just their reactions and how we think Roxas would fit into the Birth By Sleep world! Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go stop Fox from wasting our ammo on another poor newcomer… *frantically rushes off* FOX, WAAAAAIT!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Keyblade Warriors**

_How is Xemnas here? Did he follow me through TIME?_ Roxas thought to himself in a panicked frenzy, his hood keeping his face hidden. _And where did Vanitas disappear to? What should I do? Is Xemnas still after me?_

Suddenly, Xemnas turned to him and gave him a sinister smirk, making Roxas cringe, then he said something. "Ah, our Keyblade Wielder. Now this is where you've been all this time, Roxas? You've had a long enough vacation, don't you think?"

"What? I didn't have a vacation, I left the Organization for good!" Roxas snapped. Xemnas, who was walking towards him, stopped suddenly.

The tall Nobody scowled, crossing his arms imposingly. "So you believe you could just run away, Roxas? I suppose you know what _happens_ to those who leave the Organization…"

"So you followed me all the way out here just to dispose of me? You're really one crazy man, Xemnas." Roxas spat as he summoned Oblivion.

Xemnas's eyes widened in shock, and he took a step back. "W-what!?" Roxas then blinked as he heard a familiar voice, instead of Xemnas. "How…? You…" But suddenly he smirked again, making Roxas believe maybe he did that just to throw him off. "Very well, let's fight." he summoned the two Ethereal Blades to his hands as he got into a battle ready stance. "Show me what the power of the Keyblade is to the power of Nothingness!"

Roxas growled, holding his Keyblade up aggressively. "Fine, I will!" Without anymore hesitation, Roxas charged at Xemnas, who quickly pulled up his Ethereal Blades to block his incoming attack with a CLASH! The young Nobody refused to give up, he then used his feet to kick at Xemnas's chest before he jumped away. "I've been meaning to fight with you since I left the Organization!"

Xemnas laughed coldly, running towards Roxas as he swung his Ethereal Blades towards Roxas's head! "Wonderful… don't hold back, Roxas! Otherwise… you shall be engulfed in Nothingness!" he jumped back, casting Fira to Roxas's surprise.

_What? … I've never actually fought with Xemnas before, but I've seen him fight… he never used elemental magic before._ Roxas thought to himself in slight confusion, but shrugged it off as he swung the black Keyblade at the fireball to counter it back at him. Then the young Nobody jumped and somersaulted into the air, literally almost making him into a human chainsaw with that Oblivion. Xemnas seemed to be trying to block it, but he was hit a few times, then Roxas took this moment to jab at him!

Xemnas was a long stronger than Roxas thought, and by that he means at a more physical caliber, because Xemnas used his blades to push him back, and by back Roxas meant he was literally rocketing towards the stands, if he hadn't recovered in time to land on the ground, he would've no doubt be having a very bad backache right now. _I never knew Xemnas was someone who was physically strong like that… I heard he mostly likes to attack in a fast pattern rather than using brute force…_

Roxas didn't have time to think about this oddity as Xemnas was charging at him! He gasped, quickly performing a Reversal around Xemnas's Ethereal Blades! "No you don't!" he cried out, slamming his Keyblade into Xemnas's back.

Xemnas grunted in pain, but he quickly turned and fired off another magic spell- Blizzard. "Nothingness is eternal, Roxas! You shall not escape the Organization!"

* * *

Roxas jumped to avoid the ice spell, but Xemnas was relentless… it almost seemed like he was trying to take aim at him, which puzzled Roxas- as far as the Nobody knew, the Leader of the Organization never shoots with his blades… he then stood corrected as he was suddenly being bombarded with beams of energy like a gun! "WAH!" Roxas quickly tried to guard against them all, but he was hit multiple times, almost bringing him down to his knees as Xemnas charged at him again.

Roxas hissed as he Dodge Rolled out of the way before Xemnas could hit him and he cast Curaga on himself before quickly standing back up. "What're you trying to do, Xemnas!? Bring me back!?" he scoffed, pulling his Keyblade to his chest to keep his guard up. "Not likely!" _Was that… a Shotlock? … Well it's pretty similar to one, or maybe Xigbar's been giving Xemnas lessons…_

Xemnas's smirk merely widened, as he got back into a battle-ready stance, with his legs wide apart and his Ethereal Blades combined in one hand. "Oh, is that so, Roxas? I suppose that's a shame… Axel _has_ missed you so in our missions!" he taunted, making Roxas freeze for a moment. "Oh, but he can't miss you anymore, now can he?" he laughed tauntingly, adding, "After all, Dusks can't even keep their own memories!"

Roxas's eyes widen from under his hood, and horror began to fill his being… but soon it was replaced by anger and rage. "How… how COULD you!? He… Axel… he- he was my best… and only _real_ friend!" No longer wanting to hold back from this man, the Key to Destiny held out his other hand and summoned Oathkeeper in a bright light, now wielding both Oblivion and Oathkeeper. Roxas was gritting his teeth, tears spilling from his eyes- it was at this point the angry Nobody was glad no one could see his face.

Xemnas's eyes widened in shock, and he took a step back. Again, Roxas heard a familiar voice instead of Xemnas. "W-what the!? How can you wield TWO Keyblades!?" Xemnas frowned, his own voice coming back to him as he added, "And why did you never mention this to me, Roxas!? You could have been so much more valuable with_ two_ Keyblades instead of one!"

"I don't care about being of used to you or the Organization, Xemnas. You're going down,_ especially _after what you did to Axel!" Roxas charged at him, dragging his two Keyblades from the ground before he jumped at him and attacked rapidly in a combo frenzy, giving Xemnas no time to react! "Take THIS!" Roxas hit Xemnas with BOTH of his Keyblades and pushed him back, forcing his former boss's knee to the ground.

Xemnas groaned in pain, glaring up at Roxas in anger. "Why you little…!" he growled, aiming his Ethereal Blades to the sky. "THUNDER!" he roared, causing Roxas to be instantly struck with a huge lightning bolt!

"Gah!" Roxas grunted in pain but was still far from down. He then jumped and glided, before he pointed his two Keyblades at Xemnas, "Firaga!" and shot out huge fireballs almost like a gun at his former boss. Xemnas jumped back, trying to dodge or block his fireballs, but a few did manage to scorch him.

Roxas landed and charged at him again, deciding to use his melee attacks once more. The Nobody managed to get in a few combos before Xemnas seem to have used a Reflect spell, which isn't unusual for the Leader of Organization XIII, and pushed back Roxas off of him before jumping away, obviously seeing that a close up fight with Roxas was too dangerous at this point.

It seemed Xemnas was going to rely on his 'Shotlock' again, because Roxas could see he was taking aim at him with his Ethereal Blades and began shooting those beams of energy. Roxas hated these things, because trying to dodge or guard them wasn't easy, he tried using Areo to reduce the damage because he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up a Reflect spell for long. After the energy beams were done, Roxas charged at him once more, using Oblivion and Oathkeeper to bat away any fireballs or ice crystals Xemnas tried to throw him before he got in close.

Roxas narrowed his eyes when he thought he saw some kind of dark aura over Xemnas… another oddity Roxas noted, Nobodies _shouldn't _be able to use light or darkness… still, Roxas ignored this and shoved Xemnas into a wall, making it hard for him to escape Roxas's next deadly combo frenzy. Of course, Roxas wasn't able to keep him there for long, it was as if Xemnas just got twice as strong suddenly because he managed to block some of Roxas's attacks and push him far away again before Xemnas casted Cura on himself.

_What? How is Xemnas doing that? He's almost fighting like a Keyblade Wielder, it's so weird!_ Roxas thought to himself in surprise. Then suddenly, Xemnas came at him way too fast! Roxas barely had enough time to block his incoming attack… but it was like Xemnas got faster and stronger so quickly, was he toying around him before?

* * *

Roxas managed to parry Xemnas's Ethereal Blades with his own two Keyblades, but the brute force in his attacks made it hard for Roxas to keep a steady footing, and one wrong move was all Xemnas needed to knock Roxas around before he made the younger Nobody fall on face in pain. Roxas groaned as he reached to the point he could use his Limit attack… and he better do it quick before he ends up in a situation like he almost did with Xehanort earlier.

Xemnas seemed to be approaching him slowly, almost cautiously, before Roxas suddenly jumped without warning as he was waiting for his former boss to get within range. Roxas wasted no time lighting both his Keyblades, making them much stronger and deadlier as he attacked much faster than he did before, giving Xemnas absolutely no room to retaliate! Xemnas grunted in pain as Roxas kept attacking, then The Key to Destiny jumped into the air. "THIS IS FOR AXEL!" Roxas summoned the 13 pillars of light and scrambled them as they all attacked Xemnas!

By the time Roxas finished the attack, he fell back to his feet as Xemnas laid on the ground, looking half conscious. Roxas approached him, ready to finish the job… but… when he got close enough, he saw Xemnas pulling out… a Hi-Potion from his pocket! Roxas gasped as he quickly charged, knowing the battle was not over yet, but Xemnas was quick when he gulped down the Hi-Potion and got up in time to parry Roxas's Keyblades. Both of them were at a standstill here and at each other's faces. Roxas was pushing back with all of his remaining strength to try and match Xemnas's ridiculously powerful yet lean body. Then suddenly, Xemnas reached out a hand and pulled back his hood, revealing the young Nobody's face.

Roxas gasped, but it was _nothing_ compared to Xemnas's reaction. He stumbled back, his Ethereal Blades disappearing. "V-Ven…?" Roxas blinked at that- it almost sounded like… Terra? "Wait… no… ROXAS!? What- since when could you…?"

Roxas glared as his grip tightened around his two Keyblades. "Enough of your mind games, don't think I'll fall for it, Xemnas!" he snapped, looking ready to charge again, but for some reason… Xemnas's voice didn't change back.

"R-Roxas, what's _with_ you? Why are _you_ attacking me!?" Xemnas's mouth was beginning to grow out of sync with his words… "Wait… your eyes…!" he took another step back in shock. "No way…"

The young Nobody didn't appreciate Xemnas trying to trick him again, so he charged and tried to slash at him again, but Xemnas reacted quickly as he summoned his Ethereal Blades to block… but that's all he did, he only blocked Roxas's Oblivion and Oathkeeper- it was almost like he wasn't trying to fight him anymore.

"Stop messing around and fight!" Roxas snapped angrily as he jumped back, still in his battle stance and ready to strike again. "What, you're _scared_ now!? I didn't think you were scared when you turned Axel into a _Dusk_!" he gritted his teeth, tears trickling down his face again.

To Roxas's surprise, though… Xemnas frowned. "Roxas, snap out of it! You're being controlled- it's me, Terra! I don't know who Xemnas is… but I need you to snap out of it and realize just who you're _really_ fighting!"

Roxas frowned at this… something was definitely wrong here… _Terra? What? That can't be… No, it's got to be a trick!_ "Why don't you quit with your mind games? I know you're just trying to confuse me!" Roxas attacked again, hitting Xemnas's arm, who then tried to block his attacks again. With Roxas up at his face, it was then the young Nobody could see the face was starting to blink into another. "What? What are you doing?"

Xemnas gritted his teeth, still trying to block Roxas's attacks with his arms. "R-Roxas… Roxas, come on- don't you recognize me!?" his silver hair was slowly turning brown, his yellow eyes turning blue and his face slowly grew younger. "Come on, fight it! Don't let… don't let the darkness control you! Not like it happened to me- _fight it_!"

"What are you _talking_ about!? Darkness doesn't control me! It _can't_ control me!" Roxas snapped back, now more confused than ever and it irritated him, he didn't stop his attacks though they were starting to slow down. _Is this really Xemnas? He's starting to look like someone else! What's going on here!? Who have I been really fighting?_

As Xemnas kept blocking Roxas's Keyblades, his expression changed as well- from shock to concern. "Roxas, you may not think you can be controlled by darkness, but it's easier than you may think! Come on… I know you can hear me, Roxas!"

Roxas hissed in a bit of pain as Xemnas managed to pin Oathkeeper down. Gritting his teeth in irritation, Roxas raised Oblivion to try and strike but stopped suddenly when it felt like something in his head shattered! His eyes widened as pain began filling his head once more, and he dropped both his Keyblades, causing them to disappear as he grabbed his head and began grunting in pain. _What… what's happening to me _now_!?_

As Roxas groaned in pain, his face nearly touching the floor, he noticed Xemnas's boots right next to him… right before they transformed into Terra's shoes. "Roxas!" The Nobody froze, feeling whom he thought was Xemnas hugging him tightly. "No, no…!" _Why do I have to always hear that!? WHY!? I swear I'm more unbalanced than even most mental teenagers at a_ mental institution_! And… wait… don't tell me I've been fighting with TERRA all this time! Great, just great- this is a _lovely_ predicament I just got myself in! And he saw me wield not one but TWO Keyblades! Ugh… This is giving me more headaches…_

Terra frowned worriedly when the boy in his arms didn't answer, looking Roxas over. "Are you okay?" Roxas still didn't give a response, and he gulped, putting a gentle but firm hand on his friend's head. "Cura!" A familiar green halo of light surrounded Roxas, and Terra waited as Roxas groaned weakly again.

Roxas really didn't want to have to speak right now, not because of the pain in his head… though that is part of the reason, or that his body is very sore, but mostly because he didn't want to have to explain the situation… it would be too complicated and he needed to think of a story that could work right here and now- still, if he made Terra worry even more about him, the guy will probably get a heart attack. "I'm… fine…"

Terra sighed in relief as soon as he heard those words, and he gently helped Roxas sit up. "That's good…" then he frowned a bit, looking at Roxas questioningly. "...When did you…?" _When did he get a Keyblade? And for that matter, why didn't he want to reveal it? Not to mention, how did he get _two_? As far as we know, it's impossible to wield more than one…_

Roxas sighed as he quickly tried to come up with a believable story, one thing he knew about time travel is to never reveal you are a time traveler, that is a very dangerous thing… so the boy went with the easiest option he could think of on the spot. "I… I don't know… I've always had the Keyblade ever since I could remember." Well it was kind of the truth anyway, and playing amnesia would help save him from having to explain too much… and to keep him from having to make up a complex story he might not remember.

Terra frowned at that, but he didn't question that bit anymore. "I suppose that makes sense… but how can you use _two _Keyblades?" Roxas paled a bit, gulping. "And… why didn't you want to tell us? Were you worried about something?"

In hindsight, Roxas should've seen that question coming… well, he couldn't feign amnesia here… "... I don't know how I'm able to use two Keyblades… I just _could_ one day." that was the truth, Roxas really _didn't_ know how or why he gained another Keyblade, just that he did. "As for why I didn't want to tell you… well… I wasn't allowed to tell you really… and you shouldn't have found out… I'm… I'm sorry for attacking you, I thought you were someone else."

Terra blinked at that before he frowned, crossing his arms. "You thought I was this _Xemnas_, huh?" He frowned at that, closing his eyes. _Don't get angry… I shouldn't hurt him… It wasn't his fault- he was being controlled…!_

"If you're angry with me that's fine. I was stupid for being fooled so easily." Roxas said bitterly, almost as if he read Terra's mind, in truth he felt his darkness, and it was one of anger and irritation. _Even after I made a promise to myself not to be fooled or tricked again… it still happened…!_

Terra paused at that. "..." Then he sighed, helping Roxas to his feet. "Well… I'm more irritated that you hid something that could help us for so long." Then he grinned slightly, ruffling Roxas's hair. "Heck, you gave me quite the fight there- great job, Roxas!"

Roxas blinked at him, almost as if he was shocked at Terra's sudden behavior and that he just ruffled his hair… nobody's ever ruffled his hair before, at least not like that. "Um… thanks? … And I _was_ helping you guys, just not while you saw me…"

Terra shrugged, giving a lopsided grin. "Heh… Well, either way, great job with that fight, Roxas. I'm not sure who taught you, but you have some moves I've never even seen before- impressive job! But… was it your Master who told you not to reveal that you have Keyblades?"

The Nobody sighed… _Hah… if only I DID have a Master…_ "Not exactly… but I do have my reasons. But…" he gave a slight smirk at Terra. "_Now_ would you believe me when I say I could take care of myself?"

Terra chuckled sheepishly at that reminder, scratching the back of his neck. "Well… you did well enough, I suppose…" then he glanced down at Roxas's coat, giving another small frown. "So… what's with the outfit?"

"... This coat… I used it to try and keep my identity a secret when I fight around you guys, but… I can see that backfired… it's also to protect me from darkness." Roxas answered with a shrug. _And a LOT OF GOOD that did for me! Seriously, how'd I get tricked by such a simple thing like an _illusion_!?_

Terra frowned at that, glancing down at his fist before it clenched. "So… you're protected from darkness while wearing that thing?" _It's too bad… I doubt it would cleanse my own personal darkness… otherwise…_

Roxas sighed, shrugging. "Well it protects you from the outside influences of darkness, but from within? Not so much. Well… I don't think I really need it anymore, seeing how you, Ven and Aqua now know I can wield at least one Keyblade." The Nobody sighed as he took off his coat, and instead of putting it back into his pocket, he threw it off into the wind.

* * *

Terra smiled a bit, seeing Roxas in his own clothes and not hiding with that cloak. "It's good to know you won't hide like that anymore… Roxas." Then he blinked, glancing back behind him as he noticed the black haired boy from his match slowly standing up from where he had been sitting and watching the fight. "Mmm?" he frowned in confusion as he then noticed a bunch of confetti beginning to fall from the air! _What in the worlds…?_

"Whoa! That was so AMAZING you two! It was like watching the big finale from Star Wars or something!" the black haired boy said in excitement, clapping his gloved hands like crazy. Then he blinked, realizing something. "Oh right, I should introduce myself! I'm Zack, nice to meet you!"

Roxas looked up at him… Zack was that helmet-wearing boy he saw earlier. "Zack? I thought Phil had you enter the East side of the tournament, what're you doing _here_?"

Zack grinned, leaning back a bit. "Heh… I did- this is the final round of the Games, the East side winner versus the West side winner!" Then he frowned a bit, glancing to the side. "Unfortunately, Phil chose Herc after all… but, well… I guess I can wait for now."

"You're an awfully good sport about this…" Roxas chuckled, crossing his arms in amusement.

"Yeah, but man, you two are just WOW! You could make heroes easily!" Zack said as if it was fact. "In fact, what was your name?" he pointed at the taller Keyblade Wielder, smiling.

"... I'm no hero, not even close." Terra said with a frown. "But… my name's Terra."

"Yeah, neither am I." Roxas shrugged, not really caring about being a hero or not- though to be fair, the closest thing he has to really knowing what a 'hero' is was Pete as 'Captain Justice', so he can't say he has… high expectations with heroes.

Zack blinked in surprise at that. "You kidding? Listen to those cheers, you two!" Roxas and Terra both blinked in surprise, glancing around to hear the entire Coliseum on it's feet and cheering! "You don't get to _decide_ whether you're a hero or not, guys. _They_ do. And they've already made up their minds. Whether you like it or not, you're _their_ heroes." he then grinned, pointing to himself. "And mine too- in fact, Terra… You're _just_ the kind of person I imagine a hero would look like!"

"Oh, so what am I? Just some random kid who got lucky?" Roxas crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

Zack shook his head, chuckling. "Heck no- you're who I _could_ be right now at our age!" Then he frowned, glancing off to the side. "It's too bad, though… I really wanted to fight you fair and square, Terra. Stupid God of Death…"

"... Um…" Roxas was going to ask but decided against it, it looks like a sensitive subject and he didn't want to step on anyone's toes.

Zack then looked up at Roxas and said, smiling, "Oh yeah, Ven told me to give you a message! He said that he wants to travel on his own for a while, you know, the whole self journey thing- he says you'll be alright on your own."

Roxas blinked and was about to say something when Terra beat him to it, grabbing his former opponent's shoulders. "Wait, Ven was here?"

"Yeah, but you just missed him, sorry Terra." Zack shrugged. "I guess he didn't realize you were here too."

"Wait… Ven LEFT me?" Roxas groaned. _Oh great, I guess that means I'm stuck with Terra for now…_ Roxas didn't dislike Terra or anything, but he's most uncomfortable around Terra due to his constant darkness spikes, that and the guy is pretty intimidating when he's mad… and the fact that Terra, out of the trio, knows he could use _two_ Keyblades didn't make it any easier.

Terra frowned a bit at that, but he smiled down at Roxas. "Well… I suppose we'll have to travel together for now, Roxas. You… don't mind, do you?" he frowned a bit, seeing Roxas hesitate. _…I guess I scared him… he's still a kid, two Keyblades or not- I shouldn't forget that…_

Roxas gave him a somewhat strained smile, quickly shaking his head. "Of course not, I don't mind Terra… it's been a while since we traveled together really…" _For a Nobody, I suck at acting._

Terra frowned a bit more, crossing his arms. "Well… you don't have to hide your emotions from me." Roxas gulped, about to say something, before Terra turned and began to walk out of the stadium. "I'll see you some other time, Zack- c'mon Roxas… we still have to find Vanitas."

"Wait, so you're not going to take me back to your world for safety?" Roxas asked him as the two began walking away from the stadium. _That's pretty surprising- I was sure he'd be convinced that I have to head back… Wait, Vanitas… _he_ was the one who made me see that illusion… but how and why?_

Terra shrugged, still walking out of the stadium. "Well… you're able to handle yourself, right? It may be dangerous… but as long as we get you some items, you should be alright- especially with _two_ Keyblades!"

"... Yeah, about that… don't tell anyone I can use two Keyblades… I'm already big enough trouble as it is now that _you_ know… Ven and Aqua only knows I can use one, so please, please, PLEASE don't tell them!" Roxas all but begged.

The tall Keyblade Wielder blinked in surprise, glancing down at Roxas before he nodded. "I suppose so… but you'll have to tell them eventually, just remember that."

"... Why do I_ have_ to?" Roxas frowned, asking him. _It's not like I plan to stick around once I can get back to my time period._

Terra blinked before looking at Roxas… who looked like he really didn't think he had to. He frowned a bit at that, crossing his arms. "Roxas… you can't just ignore responsibility- you have to tell them because they _care_ about you. It's your responsibility to not lie to them about…" he hesitated before continuing in a slightly darker, more bitter tone. "...about what you're _really_ doing."

Roxas shuddered at that last sentence. "What do you think I'm _really_ doing? You make it sound like I'm doing something bad…" _I wonder if he's… angry with me for attacking him earlier… or that maybe I look so much like Ven but I'm not._

Terra blinked at that before he quickly shook his head. "W-what? No, no, I just meant don't hide yourself behind lies! Don't…" he took a deep breath, remembering Aqua. "Don't lie to your friends- they care about you." _Other than Aqua, that is… she decided to _spy_ on me because Master Eraqus doesn't trust me! _"And if they find out without you telling them… it's going to _crush_ them."

"... Did it crush you when you saw me using two Keyblades?" Roxas asked him, frowning a bit worriedly. "If it did, I'm sorry… you don't have to travel with me."

Terra blinked in surprise before he groaned, rubbing his forehead. _And _this_ is why Aqua always taught Ven the morals lessons, and not me… _"No, Roxas- it isn't _that_. I'm not crushed by that, all I mean is you shouldn't lie and hide secrets from those who care about you! I'm surprised, yes, but… I'm not_ crushed_ by it."

"So… it crushes people who care about someone else if they lie or hide secrets from them?" Roxas asked as he thought about why he abandoned the Organization. _Well, it's true I wasn't happy when Axel hid things from me… and why I left in the first place. I guess I can see where Terra's coming from… but I CAN'T tell them, if I do then… I might not…_ That's when another thought occurred to Roxas. Until now, he didn't know why Axel was hiding things from him, things he obviously had the _right_ to know. _Was it because Axel thought it would be for the best that I didn't know the truth? That he worried what would happen to me if I did? … If I could see Axel again, I owe him an apology…_

* * *

Terra noticed Roxas has been quiet since he said that, it seems like the kid was deep in thought about something. The tall Keyblade Wielder gave a small sigh in relief, realizing Roxas was thinking about what he said. _Guess I actually managed to make some sense to the kid… Geez, that was a major headache though…_ Terra smiled slightly, patting Roxas's shoulder. "Well, you can think about it as we ride- for now, you ready to go? Or should we get you some items first, maybe stop at a secret health spot?"

"Oh… well are there any shops around? I haven't been able to stock up on items, I've mostly counted on magic like Cure to keep me from being too badly wounded." Roxas answered with a shrug.

"You survived this long _without_ items?" Terra stared at him, his eyes wide in shock. _How in the worlds did Roxas _survive_ like this!?_

"... Well I traveled with Aqua and Ven for a bit so…" Roxas shrugged. "Of course… they didn't really know I could fight at the time yet… but I did have items before I met you guys, I just… lost them when I came to your world."

Terra blinked at that before he sighed, rubbing his forehead in slight aggravation. _And of course, Roxas didn't even _try_ to look for shops around the worlds… _"Okay, Roxas…" he paused, trying to think of how to say this right. "...Let's get to a secret health spot first, then maybe we can find an items shop so you can restock!"

"Thank you… I'm sorry for being such a bother." Roxas rubbed the back of his head as if embarrassed. _I feel like such an idiot… how did I not think to look around for item shops!? The Moogle in the World that Never Was sold items- why not here? … I guess since I could always get items from that Moogle I never had any reason to look for a shop in another world._

While they were shopping and getting the items they needed, Terra was thinking about something… and he couldn't wait anymore. "Roxas… who was your Master? I mean, why don't you have any armor? How did you travel between worlds without them? Did you lose them when you ended up in our world?"

"Huh?" Roxas blinked, looking at him before he realized the taller Keyblade Wielder was talking about the armor he, Aqua and Ven uses. "O-oh, well… I never got any armor." he answered as he paid the shopkeeper their munny for his Ethers, Potions and Elixirs.

Terra froze at that, staring down at Roxas in shock. "You… You didn't get any armor!? _Ever_!?" _What kind of Master did Roxas _have_!? _"Roxas, if you don't have armor… how do you get around to different worlds? Heck, how did your Master _intend_ for you to travel to different worlds?"

"... What does it take to get armor from your Master?" Roxas asked Terra, mostly so he knows how a Master decides to give their students any armor, that and he wasn't sure if Terra would like it if he heard _how_ Roxas got around to other worlds... _Does he think I can use the Keyblade Glider too?_

Terra frowned a bit, crossing his arms. "Well… there's an armory in the Land of Departure- I don't know about other Keyblade Masters, but Master Eraqus would have you go into the armory and choose a suit of armor that called to you." he gave a soft smile at the memory of getting his own armor, continuing to speak. "Then if it didn't fit you, he'd help adjust it…"

"That sounds interesting…" Roxas said as he blinked. _So… the armor calls out to you like the Keyblade does? Wow, things work… _differently_ in the past. I just got my Keyblade because… well, it was already_ there_, not because I chose it or because it chose me or anything._

Terra nodded softly, his eyes slightly misty from remembering the past, before he shook his head, bringing himself back to the present as he glanced down at Roxas. "But then… if you just always had your Keyblade, and you never got armor… did you ever learn how to make a Keyblade Glider?"

Roxas crossed his arms and said with a sarcastic tone, "I barely know how to use the Shotlock, what does that tell you?" there wasn't any point in lying about that, but Roxas didn't seem to want to tell Terra he was self-taught.

Terra blinked at that before he chuckled sheepishly. "I… suppose you have a point." he cleared his throat, before he seemed to get an idea. "Well… when we find Vanitas and capture him… do you want me to teach you more about the Shotlock? Even if your own Master is going to teach you it someday, it'd be better to learn about it now… better early than late!"

"Yeah, I suppose if you want to." Roxas shrugged. _Guess it isn't really important- after all, I'm not really gonna stick around that long…_

Terra chuckled as he thought to himself while Roxas was putting away his items into his pockets. _I guess Roxas's Master is far stricter than Master Eraqus, maybe his Master thought he was too young for the armor or the glider. I mean… he seems just as young as Ventus… did he say he was 15? … One year younger, then. I'm surprised he's as strong as he is really._ "Ready to go?"

Roxas nodded, giving a small grin. "Yeah, let's go." _This is getting exciting, really… I'm learning things I never thought I would…_

Terra tapped his armor as it encased his body in a flash of light. The same drill, he makes his Keyblade Glider, holds on to Roxas so the armor would be shared with him, and they go out of the world and into the Realms of Between.

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: It was a tranquilizer dart, I wasn't actually going to kill him! *stops and sees the camera rolling* Oh, uh… hi folks! Did you enjoy Roxas and Terra's little scuffle?**

**Key2DestNE: *he was arguing with her beforehand, but he nodded, chuckling a bit.* Yeah, I don't think anybody expected Xemnas to be TERRA. It's a nice nod to the continuity of the series- for those who know about it- though. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Shoot 'Em Up? *pokes Fox's stomach***

**DarkFoxKit: I told you it was a TRANQUILIZER DART! *growls irritably* ANYWAYS! I don't have time for your little paranoia, we've got some questions and comments to answer back to! But before that... Roxas threw his coat into the wind because he thinks he doesn't need it anymore, but that doesn't mean you'll never see it again. Now then... *picks up some paper* AHEM! Now then… termvXIII, I am very happy to hear that you've gained a lot of respect and like for the 'original trio' as you called them. Though honestly, when you said 'original trio' I thought you had meant Sora, Riku and Kairi at first, not Terra, Aqua and Ventus. But I'm still happy to hear you're liking them because of this story!**

**Key2DestNE: Heh- yeah, it's always nice to let another fan of a series enjoy some of the other characters! *smiles, picking up another piece of paper* Now for Sylkelith. …I hope I pronounced that correctly… *coughs awkwardly* A-anyways, I'm glad to see you agree about a kitten being born every time Ven or Roxas is given a hug! Now as for Vanitas's true backstory… It wasn't just given in the manga, but in the reports as well- so considering we have so much information about him, and how Roxas and Vanitas are possibly rivals… *smirks at the camera, winking* Well, I'll leave the rest up to your imagination~**

**DarkFoxKit: Now the last person to ask us some questions for this chapter is Mordecai. … I don't recall using the ' too much. Mostly on words like 'don't' and 'didn't' and things like that. But not too often, if at all, for 'c'mon' and if there was a word like that, most likely my co-author typed it, I usually just put 'come on'. But you shouldn't let something like that bother you, it's something most people use in this day and age.**

**Key2DestNE: Besides, it's not like it's that odd- I mean, c'mon and come on are the exact same thing, one's just shorter.**

**DarkFoxKit: And as for the 'vague explanation of Roxas's reaction to Vanitas's face'... hmm… Let's just say… he's not gonna be too happy when he sees it.**

**Key2DestNE: *mutters* That's putting it mildly… Ahem! Finally, for those of you who said Young Xehanort was Xemnas here… Well, it's obvious by this chapter that he WASN'T, but he will show up eventually~ *grins knowingly* Or maybe not- it's all up to what you all think will happen~**

**DarkFoxKit: Honestly, I was surprised so many people thought it actually was Xemnas or at least Young Xehanort posing as Xemnas. We gave a subtle hint that it was only an illusion set up by Vanitas when he was whispering to Roxas in the previous chapter.**

**Key2DestNE: Not to mention the fact that 'Xemnas' had just beaten Zack, just like Terra did in the games! Hellooooo, anyone remember THAT tidbit, or is it just me?**

**DarkFoxKit: I guess most people just read with their brains turned off. If you go back and read it again, you'll see the hints there. Anyways, that's all the questions and comments we have for today! I'm glad we- …. *taps on the earphone* What? No I did not say you can drop nuclear bombs in the city! What, are you mad?! …. *pales* Oh boy… uh… Key… we have a bit of an emergency! Wrap this up quick!**

**Key2DestNE: Wah? *blinks in confusion* What happened? I thought you already fired that employee who got the scripts mixed up! What's going on THIS time?**

**DarkFoxKit: First of all… I didn't get the chance to fire them because you stopped me- second, I TOLD you I needed to shoot them with the tranquilizer darts! And third, we have approximately 3 minutes to stop a nuclear bomb, so I suggest you pick up the pace and stop asking 'why'!**

**Key2DestNE: O_O O-oh, well in THAT case! *hastily turns back to the camera* I'm Key, this is Fox, and we hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to read and review the chapter if you haven't already, and- WAH!**

**DarkFoxKit: *grabs Key and begins running* Yes, yes, yes! They get it! And if we survive, we look forward to hearing from you. Ask questions, give us some comments to say back in our ANs, and we'll see ya'll next time! *turns off camera***


	11. Chapter 10: Outer Space

**Key2DestNE: Hey everybody, Key here for a new chapter of Roxas's Story! Again, we're sorry if we're a bit late on the time- it's still the same day, though, so we're not THAT far off from what you all might have thought!**

**DarkFoxKit: But can you really blame us? We didn't have a lot of comments in our review this week, so we weren't too motivated to really do the AN or update it any time soon.**

**Key2DestNE: On the bright side, though, we ARE updating today, and we're ready to get started! ...That is, if you all are AWAKE this time! *taps the camera a few times* Helloooooo! Anybody in there!?**

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah, seriously! We don't really like seeing only one sentence in a review! Especially if all they say is 'good story! Update soon!' I can't tell you how much that ticks me off! *ahem* … Sorry, I'm pretty cranky today. I had a lot of issues with my computer and Internet connections lately.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeaaaaah, she's having issues with Webroot- apparently it won't let her reinstall Google Chrome, so she has to use Internet Explorer. This is off topic, but if any of you lovely people know an answer to this, please PM her and help us get back on track!**

**DarkFoxKit: But seriously folks, it would help if you guys give a little more insight with your reviews. But we've held you up long enough… Go ahead, start reading.**

**Key2DestNE: … *whispers quietly into the microphone* And if you can give her advice with her conflicting programs as well, that might put her in a better mood and thus keep the chapters going smoothly…**

**DarkFoxKit: I SAID START READING! *storms off, muttering darkly***

* * *

**Chapter 10: Outer Space**

Roxas couldn't help but notice how tense Terra felt while they were traveling through the Realms. "Hey, are you still worried that you'd lose me again?"

"Well… in my defense, _all three _of us lost you at some point. You're pretty slippery." Terra said from within his armor.

Roxas couldn't help but hear some humor there, and he shrugged. "Yeah well… sometimes slipping away was the best thing to do."

Terra scoffed, and if he was able to, Roxas knew the older man would give him a disbelieving look. "The best thing for whom- us or you?" Roxas was silent for a few moments, and Terra sighed. "Look… I know you didn't want us to know about your Keyblade, but you shouldn't have felt the need to sneak away…"

"I guess not… But like I said before, I do have my reasons. Well… don't worry Terra- the next time I want to separate from you, I'll tell you, okay? Believe it or not, I do have my own ways to travel between worlds." Roxas assured him, smiling a bit under his armor.

Terra shrugged a bit, and the two flew in silence for a few minutes. Then the older Keyblade Wielder quickly stopped his Keyblade Glider in midair, glancing around. "Unversed!" He glanced in all directions, seeing nothing but a huge horde of the creatures around him.

"I guess we're going to be chasing them down, huh?" Roxas said, still looking around. "Then let's get them!" he summoned Oathkeeper to his hand, growing excited.

Terra chuckled, nodding slightly. "Right…" _Roxas sounds so similar to Ven sometimes… It's kinda scary- but it's pretty heartwarming, too… _As the Unversed then charged the two, he quickly ducked the Keyblade Glider underneath them, letting Roxas bash away from under the creatures.

Then Roxas aimed a Thundara attack with his Keyblade, zapping the majority of them that had the two surrounded. The Oathkeeper was easy to use magic with, which is why he's using it, but then he noticed something ahead. "Terra… what's that up ahead?"

The brown-haired man blinked, glancing ahead of them both. "H-huh? …I'm not sure, but it… it almost looks like a- huh!?" Terra yelped in surprise as the Keyblade Glider suddenly shook underneath them both! "W-whoa! WAAAAAH!" Both of them had to hang on tight as their form of transportation was suddenly sucked into the spaceship!

* * *

Roxas yelped as he suddenly fell off the Keyblade Glider and the armor disappeared in a flash of light. He fell to the floor with a THUD. "Ow…" he groaned before quickly looking up, hearing what sounded like an 'intruder alert'. "Terra! Where are you?" he frowned a bit, slowly getting to his feet. _Ow… Note to self- never fall off anything that's more than a few feet off the ground… _he groaned, stretching a bit to reduce the pain.

Then the Nobody's head perked up, noticing Unversed pop up all around him. He groaned, hanging his head in disappointment. "Oh come on… not even a little break?" he muttered. He sighed, before glancing up at the Unversed and holding out his hand to summon Oblivion.

As Roxas fought against the Unversed, he managed to take out about half the horde when the doors suddenly opened up around him! The young Nobody gasped when he saw these creatures wearing space suits and a helmet charging in, trying to shoot at him with their plasma guns! Roxas yelped as he tried to jump away. "H-hey! Why are you shooting at me? I'm only trying to fight off the Unversed!" he shouted at them, hoping they would listen to him.

None of the creatures really listened as they all kept firing at him. A speaker crackled to life above them, and Roxas listened to it as he dodged another laser blast. **"All units, capture the intruder- and I want him ALIVE**!" It sounded like a grumpy old man, and as if on cue, _more_ of those creatures rushed into the room!

Roxas hissed as he got shot from multiple places, he tried to use Reflectga to try and fend them off, or even tried to guard from the occasional Unversed, but there were so many and he couldn't possibly keep it up! The Nobody didn't give up, he tried calling for Terra, surely he _must_ be nearby since they landed at the same time! "Terra! TERRA! Where are you!?" he yelled, but didn't receive an answer.

Some of the Unversed jumped on Roxas's back, the boy hissed as he managed to swipe at its head with his Oblivion, but as soon as he did, another plasma gun hit him! Roxas tried to use Cura to heal himself, but the rapid fires made it impossible to cast anything, let alone a healing spell! He tried to reach into his pocket for a Potion, but he still didn't have time to open the bottle, let alone drink it! "Gah!" Roxas glared, deciding to throw caution into the wind and charge at the horde, trying to get through one of the doors!

Roxas managed to swing his Oblivion to try and deflect the plasma guns and even reached the creatures that were firing at him. Almost out of energy, he was still slicing through his way, but he was soon quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of these guys and they all began to tackle him down! Roxas groaned as he heard some of them talking on their communication devices as he slowly began to black out, yet still trying to struggle. "N-no… I won't… be…"

One of the creatures holding his head down suddenly slammed it into the ground below them, and Roxas gasped in pain before everything around him turned into darkness.

* * *

_Ugh… my head really hurts… Huh… looks like I'm back in this place again. But something's different… It's almost like the place has a more solid feel to it, like an actual ground…_

"_Roxas…"_

_I lifted up my head… It's you again… what just happened?_

"_You… were knocked… out… Are you… okay?"_

_My body is sore and my head hurts… but otherwise I think I'll be fine. But could you tell me something? … Who helped me before? I remember seeing someone in a black coat and gave me one too… do you know who that was? He couldn't have been a part of this timeline, he seemed to know me._

"_You're… right… he isn't… He's… someone from… your future… His name… do you want to… know it?"_

_I don't know…_ should_ I know? I'm worried that by knowing, things could get out of control… I've already screwed up when Terra saw me wield two Keyblades. And knowing there's someone who's also in the future here… how would that affect me and the timeline?_

"_It… will all be fine… This all… happened… even if nobody… remembers it anymore…"_

_Wait, what? It had happened before? I don't get it… it couldn't have, I wasn't a part of it before…_

_Then suddenly I felt a tremor. I frowned at that, looking up, seeing the blurry colors suddenly shifting around me to a dull gray. What's happening? Am I waking up?_

"_Shh… listen…"_

_I frowned, but then I started hearing voices, voices that were not the one I was talking to._

"Are you sure he's dangerous? He's just a child."

"I assure you, Grand Council Woman, he took out almost half our army before he was knocked out!"

_Those voices… they're outside… What should I do? They think I'm dangerous…_

"Hmm… Well, I suppose we should hold him for now. Captain Gantu, this child… doesn't he seem to be the same species as that other one you've located?" _It sounded more like a statement than a question._

"Exactly, which is why we must be cautious."

_The voices… they're getting further away. I guess I really did get captured… who else were they talking about? Did they capture Terra too?_

"_You must hurry… there's not much time."_

_What? Not much time for what?_

"_You need to stay on this ship until it's time to leave."_

What? You mean I can't get out of here with Terra?

"_Yes, you need to stay until it's time for you to go."_

_But how do I know when it's time?_

"Trust me… you'll know. Now go, hurry."

_Before I could question anymore, I suddenly found myself lying in a strange bed._

* * *

Roxas groaned as he began to sit up… finding himself in a small, gray room. Looking around, the boy realized this must be some kind of prison because there was nothing but a bed here and some kind of energy of glass blocking the way out. _Where am I? … Some kind of alien prison?_ The Key to Destiny stood up from the bed, rubbing the back of his head, it was a dull ache but the pain was still there. Looking out from the energy glass thing, he saw someone running down there.

"Terra?" Roxas whispered to himself when he saw the man, but Terra didn't seem to notice him and seemed to be looking around frantically. "Terra! H-hey, up here!" he waved his arms back and forth, trying to get the guy's attention. _Apparently they caught Terra, but… how'd he get out?_

Terra frowned, still looking around as if unable to hear him. _Come on, come on…! Where could Roxas be!? He _has_ to be in one of those cells!_

Roxas frowned when he realized Terra couldn't hear him. "I wonder if my Keyblade could unlock this thing…" he frowned in thought before the Nobody summoned his Kingdom Key and shot a familiar light beam into the energy field that was blocking his way out. Thankfully, it managed to dissipate the energy without any problems. Roxas smiled as he jumped down, it was easy to glide down from there and landed right in front of Terra, surprising him! It was enough that Roxas had to quickly block the sudden jab of attack. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Terra! Relax, it's just me!"

Terra blinked slowly, still a bit shocked from the boy he was looking for just popping up- or rather fell from the sky- in front of him like that! "U-uh… sorry, Roxas." he frowned a bit, glancing up at the higher cells above him. _Come to think of it, it'd make sense for him to be up there if I was too… _"I didn't exactly expect you to land right in front of me like that…" Then he looked down at Roxas's Keyblade and raised an eyebrow. "...Why does your Keyblade look different? I've never seen you use that one before…"

"Huh? Oh, well sometimes my Keyblade can change depending on the keychain I put on it. Though I lost most of them, so it only has three forms, this one, that black one I call Oblivion and the white one I call Oathkeeper. This is its basic form, I call it the Kingdom Key." Roxas explained as he held it up for Terra to see. For some reason, now that Terra knows he's a Keyblade Wielder, he couldn't help but want to show it off a little bit to him. _Strange, I never felt like doing that before, not even with Axel._

The brown haired man blinked in surprise at that, looking the Keyblade over thoughtfully. "Really? You can use it with keychains, huh…?" he frowned a bit, glancing at his own Keyblade. "Come to think of it… I've found keychains in other worlds, but I never thought about using them on my own Keyblade…"

"Maybe you should try it then, it might help make your own Keyblade stronger." Roxas suggested before looking around. "... This almost looks like some kind of alien spaceship rather than a world."

Terra nodded, dispelling his Keyblade. _I'll consider what Roxas said when we're safer. _"Yeah, I think so too." he glanced around a second longer before turning and beginning to walk away. "Come on- we'd better get back to work. Who knows what Vanitas could do while we're stuck here."

Before either of the boys could walk forward, they heard someone calling to them, "Hey, wait! Please, you must be letting me out of here. They locked me up for no good reason!"

Roxas blinked as he turned to see who was talking to them, it appeared to be some kind of purple and pinkish alien, and it has four eyes, literally. Terra seems to have heard him too, because he frowned, "Why should we trust you? For all we know you got locked up for a good reason."

"No, please, you must be listening to me. They locked me up in here because of a cute, fluffy creature I made. He's small and harmless really, yet they're scared of him. Please let me out, I must be knowing if he is alright." the alien said.

Terra looked to be thinking about it while Roxas frowned and crossed his arms. "How do we know if you're even telling the truth? You could just be saying that so we'd help you. I'm sure they wouldn't have locked you up without a good reason."

"Then why did they lock you two up? Did you do something evil?" the alien asked them and that did make Roxas stop for a minute. "...You see? They will arrest anyone they think is dangerous, even if they were just defending themselves."

Roxas sighed, crossing his arms thoughtfully. _Well… he's not wrong there- that _did_ happen to me… _Finally, he shrugged, coming to a decision. "I suppose there isn't much wrong there… but what do you think, Terra- should we help?"

Terra frowned, but he sighed, slowly nodding. "I suppose we may as well- especially if they fear him for no real reason…" With that, he walked over to the nearby cell, unlocking it with his Keyblade. "Okay- take us to him."

The alien nodded and said, "My name is Dr. Jumba Jookiba- the name I give to adorable, fluffy creature you are helping for to rescue is Experiment 626."

* * *

Roxas was still unsure about this guy, but decided not to argue as Jumba began walking ahead of them. The boy followed along with Terra, both of them walking just behind the alien scientist. Along the way, they ran into a lot of Unversed, it seems they were invading the spaceship. Every time they did, Jumba would to find a place to hide and stay out of the way while Roxas and Terra took care of them. Roxas was just glad he wasn't alone and being constantly overwhelmed like the first time he was on board here.

Roxas quickly followed Terra ahead of Jumba, trying to make sure the area was clear. Roxas nodded to Terra who signaled for Jumba to follow. As they continued walking, Roxas asked, "So why do they think this Experiment 626 is dangerous if he is as harmless as you say he is?"

Jumba chuckled, seeming proud now. "Why, he is most destructive- ah, I mean, _constructive_ species of all time. He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than supercomputer. He can see in the dark and move objects 3,000 _times_ his rather diminutive size! Why, he could dispatch creatures you both fight with such difficulty as if pushing a ball from one side of room to the other!"

"He does sound rather dangerous." Terra commented. "But then… that doesn't mean he's evil."

Roxas nodded to Terra in agreement, but he still wondered… he hadn't missed Jumba's fumbles when he said 'destructive'. "But if he's small, how would we find him? This place is big and those soldiers are looking for us, and believe me when I say they can overwhelm you quite easily."

Jumba frowned a bit, still walking fast. "I had worked on this ship once- the Galactic Federation plans to banish him to far reaches of space! There's only one place they could keep him on ship- and we're heading straight for it!"

Terra and Roxas continued to follow the alien scientist. The Unversed were constantly popping up, Roxas briefly wondered where they were coming from since he hadn't sensed Vanitas anywhere near this place. The Nobody then struck down another Unversed before the door opened and there was a room with two gun-like cannons dangling down, as if they were inactive.

Roxas turned to Jumba, crossing his arms. "Is this the room you were talking about?" _This certainly _seems_ like a place to keep a dangerous and powerful creature…_

Jumba nodded, looking around. "Precisely. Now… Experiment 626 should be right… around… ah!" he walked forward into the room, where a blue creature with a red bodysuit was growling and spitting inside a small glass container. "Amazing, is he not? Such tremendous power inside itty-bitty package!"

"He seems like an angry dog to me… with rabies." Roxas commented, to which Terra elbowed lightly at his side. "You know… just saying."

Jumba took the glass that kept the little blue alien trapped and released him, he smiled proudly as 626 jumped at Terra suddenly and took something! "Whoa!"

"What the!?" Roxas jumped and saw the little blue alien landed on the floor, holding what appears to be… something that looked similar to the keychain to his Oathkeeper.

Terra's eyes widened in shock, and he grabbed one of his pockets. _Wha!? My Wayfinder! _"W-when did you-!?" he frowned, holding up a hand angrily. "Give that back!"

Jumba shrugged, walking back over to the two of them. "Too late, is already marked for destruction- as per his instincts."

Terra gasped, turning back to the blue fluffy creature. "No, stop! Don't destroy it- my friend gave me that!" Then he froze, glancing down at his hands in surprise. _…Aqua made it for me… but it felt so instinctive to just say she was my friend… Even though she was spying on me… do I still…?_

Roxas looked up at 626 for a minute, noticing the creature holding the Wayfinder curiously before it gave a brief growl and dropped it, climbing on the ceiling and crawling out the door. "... Terra, look, it dropped the Wayfinder." Roxas said, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself as Terra picked it up. _If he was meant to be a creature of destruction… why didn't he destroy it?_

Terra frowned a bit, holding the pendant in his hand as he stared at it. "...Funny…" he murmured to himself, as if forgetting anybody was there. "This whole time, I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent… but…. the second I let my _heart_ do the talking, I find out how little I know _myself_… and how much I miss them…" he sighed, before putting the Wayfinder back in his pocket. "That experiment of yours… you sure about him? Maybe he really _does_ want friends in his heart, just like all of us."

Jumba gave a glare as he said, "That's nonsense! Experiment 626 was created for destruction, he doesn't care about friends. I will even demonstrate just how powerful my Experiments are!" he smirked as he held up a green little ball with the numbers 221 on it, and dropped it into a bottle of water, as soon as he did, the ball lit up brightly!

Roxas hissed as he had to shut his eyes for a second. "What are you doing!? I thought you wanted help!" When he was able to open his eyes again, there stood a yellow creature that looked similar to 626, only this one had much longer antennas and they were sparking with electricity, and its eyes were an electric blue, it growled at both of them.

* * *

"Meega nala queesta!" the bright yellow alien, 221 Roxas assumed it's called, yelled angrily at them as it began to fly and zipped around them!

Terra and Roxas frowned, quickly summoning their respective Keyblades to their hands. "We're gonna have to put a stop to this experiment, Roxas!" Terra called out. "You ready for another fight?"

"Always ready for a fight, Terra!" Roxas called back as the two dodge roll out of the way. Roxas managed to slide on the floor and whacked at 221! The lightning Experiment groaned a bit before it tried to zap Roxas, who countered with a quick Reflect spell, but he didn't escape completely unscatched, the little lightning bolt managed to zip past the barrier and shocked the Nobody a bit.

Roxas groaned as he was immediately reminded of Larxene and her nasty attitude and electricity, that girl was ruthless and merciless, but he shook his head, not having time to think about the past. Roxas saw Terra running at 221 and managed to get a good hit on the little alien before it zipped around, making it very difficult to hit. "Geez, this thing is even more annoying than a fly…"

Roxas quickly got to his feet as he threw his Keyblade like a boomerang, using Strike Raid. It managed to hit 221, but not enough to keep it down. 221, out of anger, built up electricity into its body and then unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at both of them! Roxas tried to dodge it, but he was too close in range and got hit! "Ugh!" he rolled on the floor, he briefly noticed Terra rolling on the floor too, both of them got caught up in the powerful bolt attack.

Roxas hissed in annoyance when he heard Jumba laughing as he was enjoying the show. The Nobody wasn't going to take this sitting down, he grabbed his Keyblade after dropping it from the attack and charged, when he got close enough to the lightning experiment, he held up his Keyblade at it. "STOP!" he cast a quick Stop spell on it, making it unable to move, this gave Roxas the chance to attack wildly!

221 wasn't stopped for long though, it was able to move after about ten seconds and then tackled Roxas to the ground before it tried to fly away again. Thankfully, however, Terra apparently had recovered enough to use Shotlocks, he had been locking on during the ten second stop and began firing at it.

Roxas was in relief as Terra was firing, so he managed to get back up. "HEAL!" he used Cura on himself to get rid of the pain and numbing feeling he got after being zapped multiple times. However, it seemed 221 wasn't done yet, it became more and more desperate. As soon as Terra ran out of Shotlocks, the little lightning experiment flew right into the guns- it had literally phased into it, and as soon as it did, both of the cannon laser guns came to life and were aiming at both him and Terra!

Terra yelped, quickly dodging a laser fired right where his head would be! "Whoa! Ugh!" Unfortunately, not only was Terra a bit slower than Roxas, he was also bigger, so he got hit way more often. "R-Roxas! Strike the cannon the experiment went into!" he grunted, quickly casting Cure on himself. "Hurry! I'll keep them distracted!"

"Right!" Roxas called out as he began running towards the cannon he saw 221 went into. The Nobody was struck by the laser fire when he got in close, making it hard for him to try and hit it. Roxas grunted as he quickly got down to the floor, trying to keep from being seen or shot at. While 221 was concentrating on Terra, Roxas had to crawl in closer, trying not to be heard or seen. Finally, when the boy was close enough, he jumped and stabbed at the gun with his Kingdom Key.

221 didn't come out, but it did hiss in pain. Roxas continued to swipe at it, trying to get it to come out as it was still firing, only it couldn't focus on any target, it was just firing wildly everywhere!

Roxas yelped, barely dodging one of the cannon's lasers that had gotten close to him by chance! He grumbled, trying to think of a plan. _Maybe this experiment's like Larxene- they both rely on electricity… how would you defeat her, though? What's an elemental weakness for lightning?_ He barely dodged another incoming laser before thinking about it. _Water conducts electricity… maybe… if the ice melts it becomes water… I wonder…_

"FREEZE!" Roxas kept his Keyblade on the gun and used Blizzard, quickly freezing the gun and turning it to ice. "FIRE!" he quickly used Fire to melt the ice that was on the gun. _Please let this work!_ "Terra! Get back!" he suddenly yelled as he jumped away from the gun.

Terra blinked in surprise, but he didn't question Roxas as he quickly backed up. It was just in time too- the gun began sparking like crazy, and everybody could hear 221 screech in pain before a small explosion blew up the gun's barrel! The Experiment quickly flew out of the gun, grunting in pain and looked to be in a daze.

"NOW!" Roxas all but flung himself at the dazed alien and Terra quickly followed him. Both gave it a final whack to the head and as soon as they did, the Experiment glowed and turned back into a green ball before bouncing over to Jumba.

* * *

The scientist gasped in shock, quickly getting on his hands and knees. "Oh! You'll be alright, little one…" Then he blinked, noticing the two Keyblade Wielders storm up to him. "Eh?"

Roxas glared at the doctor and snapped, "What was _that_ for!? We were _trying_ to help you and you repay us by siccing your Experiment on us!?"

"It was simply to demonstrate the power of my Experiments." Jumba stated as if what he did wasn't anything wrong.

"You are twisted." Roxas grumbled. _But at least he's not as bad as Vexen, I wonder if all scientists are this twisted…_

Then Terra blinked, looking up and away from the crazy scientist. "Hang on… is that…?" Everyone looked over at a certain blue fuzzy alien, who now seemed a lot calmer- not to mention he wasn't growling anymore.

Jumba blinked, standing up. "What is it? Why have you returned, Experiment 626?" He clearly seemed confused, as if this was impossible behavior.

The little blue alien was looking at the two boys curiously, "Ter...ra… Rox...as…" he spoke in what sounded like broken English.

Roxas blinked, looking at Terra and at 626 again. "You… just said our names?" _What in the worlds? That's… kinda surprising…_

Terra blinked before walking over to the alien, giving a faint smile. "Maybe… he's curious about what a friend is." he crouched down, shrugging. "I can't explain friendship- because when you feel it, you'll _know_ it."

"Fri...end...ship." 626 repeated slowly, tilting his head as if slightly confused.

Terra gave a smile and Roxas couldn't help but give a small chuckle of his own, maybe the little guy isn't so bad after all. Suddenly the ship began to tremble and the intruder alarm went off!

"Sounds like they're on to us! We need to get out of here." Terra said to Roxas as he summoned his Keyblade and turning it into the Keyblade Glider.

Jumba and 626 both ran away before either of them could question it. Roxas frowned and he looked over at Terra, who just wore his armor again. "Come on Roxas, we need to go!"

Roxas was about to get on, but he remembered what that voice said, that he needed to stay… it wasn't time to leave yet, not for him anyway. "No Terra, I can't go with you." he suddenly said, catching the other Keyblade Wielder off guard.

Terra paused at that, looking at Roxas. "What? But Roxas, we can't stay here and get caught! I- …." He frowned, suddenly realizing something. "...You want to go your own way now, don't you?"

Roxas sighed as he nodded, turning back to the door. "Yeah, there's something I need to do here. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, you just go on ahead. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon! Now go, I'll see you later!" Roxas said quickly as he saw the doors opening up and it was their cue to get out. The Nobody didn't have time to wave to Terra, just he quickly ran off, trying to find Jumba and 626 just as Terra called out for him.

"YOU BETTER BE ALIVE WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN!" was all he heard from Terra before the doors shut behind him.

"Heh… thanks Terra." Roxas said to himself as he kept running. "I promise… I'll do just that…" He continued to run as fast as he could through the ship, occasionally ducking into a shadow to evade some guards.

* * *

**Key2DestNE: ….. *has his arms crossed, and is tapping his foot like a stern parent* Now what've we learned today, Fox?**

**DarkFoxKit: I don't know, what DID we learn today? Never trust an evil scientist that's locked up in jail?**

**Key2DestNE: *facepalm* Well yes, that's true, but also, DON'T GO AND IRRITATE HIM BECAUSE YOU'RE IRRITATED! … *ahem* Sorry 'bout that guys, Fox has a slightly bad habit of using crazy ways of letting out her anger. Now then, uh… did you all like the chapter?**

**DarkFoxKit: No, don't just tell you like it, tell us WHY you like it. We seriously have NOTHING to say in this part of the AN. … Well… I guess I could say that Roxas sure put up one heck of a fight against those Unversed and alien soldiers that went after him.**

**Key2DestNE: Heck yeah he did! And did you all like how we're making our Keyblade Wielders more characterized? Sure, Terra learned something in the games here, but he's also shown to be nicer when he wants to be in our version, so our Terra is a bit better in my opinion!**

**DarkFoxKit: And get used to seeing Stic- I mean 626, Roxas is gonna be in that spaceship for a while. Anyway, Key, do you have anything else to say?**

**Key2DestNE: ...Hmmm… Well, not really to be honest. You've kinda made most of it clear. *begins ticking numbers off* Review, do more than a single sentence please, help Fox with her Webroot issues-**

**DarkFoxkKit: Okay, okay, they get it! Whether or not they review more than one sentence is up to them, but in that case, expect later updates. Okay, we'll see you guys next time!**


	12. Chapter 11: Space Survival

**DarkFoxKit: Hey people! Well the good news is I have Google Chrome back- the bad news is, my computer's locked on to the wrong time, and even when I changed it, it changed itself back to that time, so I can't do anything about it. Anyways, enough about that, I'm sure you all came here to read more of Roxas's Story!**

**Key2DestNE: Right- let's see, this chapter is aboooout… Ah, right- a bit more of the alien ship!**

**DarkFoxKit: In case you guys haven't noticed, we're having Roxas stay on the world-spaceship for all three stories of Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Since the story's coming closer towards the end, we wanted to slow it down a bit, and Deep Space has some of the best stories of Birth By Sleep in my opinion.**

**Key2DestNE: *chuckles, nudging her side* You just want more of 626, don't you Fox? In case you couldn't tell, dear reviewers, she LOVES the little blue alien~!**

**DarkFoxKit: H-hey! Since when did I say I like 626? He's a cute, little, destructible little alien, but that doesn't mean I LIKE him! Besides, you have to admit, it's fun putting Roxas in there as a fugitive.**

**Key2DestNE: *chuckles* Well then, I suppose we should stop talking for now and let you all get to reading the chapter. So let's begin!**

**DarkFoxKit: Hey… you didn't do the disclaimer!**

**Key2DestNE: Oh, right- my bad! ^^' We don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters, only how Roxas affects the story.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Space Survival**

Roxas wasn't sure how long he's been on this spaceship… it could've been only a few minutes, it could've been hours or even days for all he knew. The young time traveler was hiding in the shadows, he had been looking for Jumba or 626 since Terra left, but he hadn't found either of them… _Were they captured? Are they in prison again?_

Roxas wasn't sure if he wanted to go back the way he came to see if they were back in prison, but the place itself was a bit confusing, so he wasn't sure if he could even remember where to go back. _Should've tried to memorize the place…_

The Nobody began moving again when he saw the cost was clear, but then that mysterious guy in the cloak was there when he turned the corner, surprising him. "Whoa! … It's you…" Roxas said when he saw the guy. The mysterious guy in the cloak was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, but still didn't say anything. "What do you want? What are you doing here?" Roxas demanded.

The mysterious person picked something out from his pocket and tried to hand it to Roxas. The time traveler blinked before he noticed the thing in its hand… it looked like a green Wayfinder. "...Why do you have that? Come on, at least say _something_!"

"...Heh." The figure chuckled slightly, shaking his head in amusement. "You don't get it, do you?" Roxas blinked at that, caught off-guard. "You'll see soon enough, Roxas… Trust me."

"Huh? What?" Roxas frowned as the figure dropped the Wayfinder into his hand.

"See you later, stay alive for me, Roxas!" the figure said before disappearing into a Dark Corridor!

"Hey, wait!" The young Nobody frowned when it was gone. _… That voice… it sounded so familiar…_

* * *

Suddenly the Key to Destiny heard footsteps, and he didn't have time to think about it anymore as he put the Wayfinder into his pocket and quickly dived into the walls to try and hide while these footsteps came closer.

Roxas could hear how heavy the footsteps are, it was that big alien. He didn't know his name, but he had seen him a few times. The big alien was walking but there was someone smaller in front of him, someone with blue hair… Roxas's eyes widened in shock. _Aqua? When did _she_ get here?!_

It appears that the big alien officer was leading her somewhere. Concerned for his friend, Roxas slowly came out from the shadows as they passed by, and he walked slowly behind them. _I kinda wished I kept my coat… it would've made this sneaking around a lot easier._

Finally, they entered a short corridor, and the alien glanced back at Roxas's friend. "I said, stay close!" Aqua huffed, as if a bit annoyed by that, but she kept walking beside him, neither of them noticing the Nobody slide in past the door just as it closed right behind him.

Roxas briefly wondered to himself if he should attack that big alien. It might be helpful to have Aqua around helping him, but he didn't want to cause any more unwanted trouble here. The Nobody decided not to attack unless the big guy threatens and hurts Aqua, he stayed close behind them until they entered a bigger room, where there was this majestic green alien.

The alien turned around, frowning sternly. "Captain Gantu, did I not order you to apprehend the fugitives _immediately_?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously, crossing her arms behind her back.

"W-well yes of course, Grand Council Woman! But I did find this suspicious one walking around." Gantu said, gesturing to Aqua. "I figured you would like to speak with her first."

Aqua, being the polite girl that she is, walked slowly in front of the Grand Council Woman and gave a respectful bow. "Please forgive me your Honor, but I was just following some Unversed into this ship, I meant no harm- my name is Aqua."

The Grand Council Woman frowned at that, looking Aqua over while maintaining her presence. "I see… you seem to be similar to those other two that we had captured… perhaps you know of them?"

"Other two?" Aqua questioned, blinking in surprise.

The Grand Council Woman nodded, turning back to the monitor behind her. "Yes, they were your species. One of them was a tall one with dark brown hair and blue eyes. The other one looked much younger with blond spiky hair and also blue eyes."

Aqua thought about it and said, frowning in thought. "That sounds like Terra and Ven… or maybe Roxas. They're here?" She looked up at the alien in front of her, and was surprised to see her shake her head. "...They aren't? What happened?"

Captain Gantu grumbled, crossing his arms angrily. "They're two of the prisoners that escaped- and unfortunately, we haven't found them. But one of them was extremely dangerous- if you're the same as them…"

"No, I'm sure they didn't mean any harm. Please, allow me to look for them, I'm sure I can help." Aqua said, hoping they'd listen to reason. Gantu didn't seem all that willing, but the Grand Council Woman seemed more than understanding.

"You seem like a nice young girl. I'll give you a chance, but you must apprehend Dr. Jumba and his dangerous little monstrosity Experiment 626." the high alien said to her. "Is that understood?"

Aqua nodded, standing up straight. "Of course- and if I may help you in destroying the Unversed?"

The Grand Council Woman nodded, giving a small smile. "As you wish- after all, these monsters you mentioned are obstructing attempts to apprehend them. But if you find these two fugitives… do your best to apprehend them _intact_."

Aqua gave another bow and said, "Yes ma'am, I'll do what I can."

* * *

Aqua turned and walked out the door. Gantu was about to follow her, but the Grand Council Woman stopped him, holding up a hand. "Now where do you think you're going, Captain Gantu?"

The big alien spluttered a bit, seeming surprised. "W-why I- I was just about to continue _my_ job!" He frowned a bit, seeming upset.

"Aqua can handle this on her own, you just keep disappointing me. You go and help defend the ship from any more of those monsters. Do I make myself clear, Captain?" she asked with a sturdy tone in her voice.

Roxas couldn't help but give a silent snicker before he noticed Aqua was getting further away. As much as the Nobody would like to stick around and see what happens to that troublesome Gantu, he had to follow her, hoping to get her alone so he could talk to her.

Aqua ran into some Unversed, but because she's not a fugitive on this ship, she could easily take care of them without the worry of being ambushed. The Nobody wondered how he's going to talk to her, the place was full of cameras and if they find him they'll arrest him on the spot before he could explain himself.

He grumbled under his breath, just now realizing something. _If I hadn't gotten rid of that cloak, this wouldn't be so hard! Ugh… Great… Hmm- maybe I can find a place without a camera? …But there's only _one_ place with that! The question is; how do I lead her to it? … I guess there's one thing I could try… but she might not like it._

Roxas crawled through the hallways, trying to get a good distance from Aqua, then he summoned his Keyblade to whack the metal floor, making a loud noise, getting Aqua's attention. _That's right, come right this way… C'mon… _He banged the floor again, and soon, he heard familiar footsteps. Roxas quickly moved ahead again, trying to keep a comfortable distance from her as he kept banging his Keyblade on the walls or floor, leading her. Roxas had to get faster each time Aqua picked up her pace, until he finally got into the room he was looking for.

As soon as Roxas dispelled his Keyblade in that room, Aqua rushed in, her Keyblade at the ready before noticing Roxas in front of her. She blinked in surprise, looking around. "Wha? Roxas?" She frowned in confusion, slowly walking over to him and carefully avoiding a bit of debris from some broken laser cannons. "What are you doing here? Where are we?"

"This is where they keep dangerous prisoners…" Roxas answered, crossing his arms. "Um… Aqua, I-"

"What are you doing here? I thought I told Ventus to take you back to the Land of Departure!" Aqua scolded him.

Roxas groaned at that, having forgotten that she had told them that. "Aqua, please listen!"

"And where's Terra? I heard he was here too." Aqua asked him.

"He's not here right now, but-" Again, she interrupted him.

"What!? He left you here all alone!?" Aqua snapped. _What was he THINKING!? I can't believe that man!_

"AQUA!" Roxas shouted, getting her attention. "Look, I_ wanted_ to stay behind. There's something I need to do here, but first I need to find 626 and Jumba-"

Aqua blinked in surprise. "You're looking for them too? Why?" _…Oh no- don't tell me Roxas is corrupted now! That… I can't believe it- he's not only a fugitive, but he's looking for other dangerous criminals in here too?!_

"Please don't interrupt me until I'm finished." Roxas grumbled. "It's all a big misunderstanding, Terra and I were chasing some Unversed here and they thought we were intruders so they locked us up. They probably think I'm dangerous because I fought back against them before they knocked me out, but I was only defending myself! And anyway, Jumba and 626 are not as bad as you think… I think one of them wants to be our friend, Aqua."

The blue haired woman blinked at that, slowly relaxing her stance. "...They want to be our friend? What in the worlds are you talking about, Roxas?" _…That blue fluffy experiment didn't seem vicious, yes… but… something's not adding up…_

"It's hard to explain, but-" there was a sudden tremor. "I just know I have to find them. Since I'm a fugitive here, I have to keep hiding, which makes it hard for me to find them since I can't move freely here."

Aqua blinked in surprise before she frowned a bit, crossing her arms. "Well… if it _is_ a misunderstanding, maybe I can clear things up- but first I have to destroy some Unversed. Roxas, please stay here- don't leave this room unless you absolutely have to!"

"Come on Aqua, I can't just stay here!" Roxas protested. "I have to keep moving- I know you're worried, but…"

Aqua frowned worriedly, crossing her arms. "But Roxas, if I leave you right now, I'm not sure I'll be able to find you again if you just leave!"

"That's okay Aqua, because I'm coming with you." Roxas said suddenly. "I'm sure once they see me fighting with you against the Unversed they'll realize I'm not a criminal!"

Aqua gasped, blinking in surprise. "W-what? Roxas… you're coming with me? But you said it yourself- right now you're a fugitive!" _If he's caught again… what will they do to him? That Captain Gantu didn't seem to enjoy being told what to do…_

"It'll be fine Aqua, if I get caught, I know how to escape. I've done it before." Roxas said with a grin. "Don't worry about me, but we can't stay here, the tremors are getting stronger, we have to go now."

Before Aqua could argue, Roxas hurried out the door, calling behind him, "Come on!" He quickly summoned his Keyblade and began fighting off the Unversed in the hallway.

Aqua blinked in surprise, but she sighed, reluctantly joining him. _Roxas just does _not_ like to listen, does he…? _"Well… alright- but apparently Unversed are attacking the outside of the ship… You'll have to join me for this."

Roxas nodded to her as the two began working their way up the ship. Roxas suddenly felt like the gravity changed and became lighter and… floaty. "Whoa! What happened to the gravity!?"

Aqua chuckled a bit, seeing how childish Roxas could be sometimes. "Well, it's what happens when we're in space, Roxas- gravity becomes a lot less powerful." _…Perhaps I should keep him here, just in case- it'd be a quick job, anyways… and I'd rather not lose him, again…_

"But we're not outside the ship yet! Did someone turn off the artificial gravity or something?" Roxas asked her as he jumped and actually went up high. "WHOA! That was… AWESOME!" he grinned excitedly as he began jumping again, going higher and higher. "This makes climbing the ship a lot easier, Aqua!"

Aqua chuckled slightly in amusement as she followed him at the top, ruffling Roxas's hair as she walked past him. "Well, come on, Roxas- we don't want the ship to be damaged while we're on it." She continued to walk back to where she first came in, sometimes glancing back to see if Roxas was following.

* * *

Aqua soon stopped at a door and said, "Here, this is where we need the armor." She tapped her armor and appeared on her body in a flash of light.

"I don't get it… how does armor help you breathe in space?" Roxas asked her as she transformed her Keyblade into the Keyblade Glider.

Aqua smiled mysteriously, patting Roxas's shoulder. "I'll explain it when we're not using it or fighting Unversed, okay? For now, hop on, Roxas."

The young Nobody grabbed her shoulder as he got onto the Glider, allowing the armor to cover his body and the Glider flew out of the ship before turning around and landing on the roof. There they saw almost an army of Unversed messing around!

"Here they come!" Roxas shouted from in the armor. _That's almost as many as the ones Terra and I fought!_

"Summon your Keyblade!" Aqua yelled back as she began to use her Glider to fly around the roof of the spaceship. Roxas nodded, summoning Oathkeeper this time as he began firing spells off to pick each Unversed off from a distance.

Then, to Aqua's surprise, one of the poles latched onto the Keyblade Glider and spun her around a bit before it launched her towards another swarm of Unversed! "Whoa!" She managed to hold on, glancing back worriedly at Roxas. "You okay?!"

"I'm fine!" Aqua was relieved to see Roxas was still behind her. "Think you could launch yourself using that pillar thing over there?" Feeling a bit dizzy but quickly recovering, he used his Keyblade to point at the incoming pole.

"I can certainly try!" Aqua said as she began moving the glider over. Roxas used some basic magic and weak Shotlocks to keep the Unversed off them. Aqua used her Keyblade to swing them around and around, going faster the longer she swung them, destroying a lot of the Unversed around them… and making Roxas sick.

After she let go, it caused the Keyblade Glider to shoot at the Unversed and destroyed a lot of them. "That was… so… disorientating…" Roxas groaned.

Aqua felt a bit nervous at how much Roxas was swaying behind her, but she glanced around. "We've only got a few more Unversed to defeat, Roxas. Can you hang on that long?"

Roxas nodded, keeping the bile down. "I'll be fine, just keep fighting!" he threw his Keyblade like a boomerang, again, utilizing Strike Raid. It certainly helped with destroying a lot of the Unversed. Aqua was actually kind of surprised that he threw it like that, the only other person she knew who would throw their Keyblade like that was Ven. "I got the ones from behind, you focus on the ones in front!"

Aqua nodded, still a bit surprised at his technique, but she adjusted her Keyblade Glider so it would shoot arrows, and with their battle strategy, they quickly finished off the last few Unversed. "We're done, Roxas! C'mon, let's- hmm?" She blinked, noticing a small twinkle a little ways ahead of them. _What in the worlds is that…?_

Roxas blinked when he felt the Keyblade Glider moving ahead. "What're you-" He stopped when he saw she grabbed something… it looked like another Wayfinder, which reminded him of the one that mysterious figure gave to him. "Is that… a Wayfinder? What's it doing way out here?"

Aqua frowned under her armor, examining the Wayfinder. "This… this looks like the Wayfinder that 626 was carrying around when I met him earlier…"

"Wait… 626 made a Wayfinder?" Roxas was surprised by this… but then again, perhaps he and Terra had made a bigger impact on the little alien than he thought. "I guess he'll be wanting it back then, huh?"

Aqua nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "I suppose so… We'd better find him so we can return it to him." With that, she flew the Keyblade Glider back inside the ship before dispelling both it and the armor.

As soon as they did, Roxas turned to his blue-haired friend. "Aqua, do you know where 626 is right now? Like I said, I've been looking for him."

Aqua frowned a bit, slowly shaking her head. "No idea… but I can't help but feel like he's in another part of the ship- maybe even where we met up."

"Really? But why would he go back there?" Roxas thought to himself. "He's a fugitive on this ship too… how long could he hide?"

Aqua shrugged, beginning to walk forward. "If he hides in the ventilation shafts at times? Possibly forever- it wouldn't be hard…"

"..." Roxas had an idea though. "Maybe not… I think 626 might be looking for Terra and me, and he might try to go back to the prison cells we were in to find any clues."

Aqua blinked in surprise, turning to Roxas. "Huh? What do you mean?" _I know Terra was here… but… _"...Experiment 626 met Terra?"

"Yes, he did." Roxas said before suddenly running ahead of her. "Come on Aqua! I want to see if I'm right!" Aqua was surprised at how fast the Nobody could run, but she quickly hurried after him.

Roxas opened the electronic door back into the prison chamber that the aliens threw him in when he first arrived with Terra. He looked around for a minute just as Aqua caught up to him, and before she could speak, Roxas noticed something blue and red at a nearby corner. "There!" he ran forward, forcing Aqua to quickly catch up once more.

Aqua panted a bit to catch her breath before her eyes widened, seeing some Unversed appear behind both Roxas and 626! "Huh!?" The Unversed jumped into the air and were about to attack them when she called out, "LOOK OUT!" Right after saying that, she jumped into the air and slashed them all out of existence. _T-that was close… Roxas may have a Keyblade, but he didn't see those Unversed coming- he's still a kid after all!_

Roxas turned around and said with a smile, "Thanks Aqua!" before kneeling down to the little blue alien. Experiment 626 seemed to be smiling, as if happy he found Roxas. "I'm glad you're okay 626, but where's Jumba?"

"Got… separated." 626 said, as if trying to speak in English. "Rox...as… where… Ter...ra?"

"He's not here right now, but…" Roxas looked up when he noticed Aqua's shadow. "Oh, hey Aqua, this is Experiment 626- we just met a while ago, but I guess you could call us friends."

Aqua frowned a bit, sighing. "I suppose… but I have orders to take him in, you know that Roxas." Experiment 626 blinked, but he shook his head.

"Terra!" he said, before beginning to scuttle away. Roxas and Aqua both blinked in surprise at that- what did he mean by that?

Aqua quickly walked after him, still a bit confused. "But before I do anything about that… I think you and I need to talk." _What did he mean, 'Terra'? Roxas told him that Terra wasn't here right now… why is 626 still looking for him?_

Roxas sighed and turned to her. "What do you want to talk about, Aqua?" he had an idea of what she wanted to say to him, but he might as well hear her out.

Aqua shrugged, glancing at him. "Well… I'm curious as to why 626 said-" Right before she could finish her statement, Unversed suddenly surrounded both of them, making her groan a bit. "But… first things first…" She then summoned her Keyblade, which made Roxas blink- now it looked like it was covered in flowers!

"Whoa! Did you change your Keyblade?" Roxas blinked before noticing her keychain was different. _Oh, I get it now, she must've found out that her Keyblade can change shape and power depending on the keychain she uses._ "Alright, here we go." he summoned the Kingdom Key to his hands, and 626 suddenly shot some of the Unversed with his own plasma gun.

Roxas's eyes widened in surprise, he didn't think 626 would help them fight, but he smiled as he and Aqua began fighting. The Nobody was happy that he actually had some help fighting the Unversed off, because the last time he tried to take on a horde of them by himself it didn't end so well, although most of it was due to the soldiers rather than the Unversed themselves.

To his surprise, 626 really did seem to be dangerous- although thankfully, it was to the Unversed and not to the two Keyblade Wielders, he already had a bad experience with another Experiment. The alien would use his plasma blasters a lot, but occasionally he would slash with his claws, and he even dive bombed on one of them! Aqua had clearly gotten a lot stronger as well- not only was her spells a lot more powerful, but she was easily dispatching the weaker of the Unversed with a single slash!

Roxas managed to jump out of a bigger Unversed way before it could pound him, and he stabbed into its gut with his Kingdom Key, destroying it. The boy looked around and said, "Aqua?" He saw her cartwheeling away from an Unversed, but that's not what got his attention, he saw something on the ceiling and suddenly something was speeding along the air and heading right at Aqua! Without thinking, Roxas dived over to her and managed to deflect the thing, and when he did, he could tell it was a sharp arrow, made of small red energy and it disappeared as soon as it hit the ground.

"Are you okay Aqua?" Roxas asked her as he tried to find the person who shot at her. _Is Braig here? Why would he be out in the middle of space? He should be back in Radiant Garden!_

Aqua blinked at him in confusion, nodding. "Of course, Roxas- why?" She hadn't noticed the arrow being shot at her, and because of it, she thought Roxas was just acting odd… again. But she couldn't consider it for long, as she pointed her Keyblade back at the Unversed that she was cartwheeling away from and fired three fireballs in succession, destroying it.

All the Unversed were soon taken out, but the mysterious shooter, whom Roxas was sure is Braig, was nowhere to be seen. _Where did he go?_ Roxas briefly wondered to himself before turning to Aqua and 626.

The alien was still looking around suspiciously and growling, as if expecting more enemies, but Aqua dispelled her Keyblade, walking up to 626. "Thanks… I owe you one. What is it you're looking for?"

"Terra!" 626 said suddenly before he turned around and ran off through a nearby door.

"Wait! I need to ask what-" Aqua frowned as the little blue alien just ran off.

Roxas ran ahead, calling back, "I'll go and make sure he'll be okay."

"No Roxas, we can't split up, especially since you're a fugitive here!" Aqua scolded.

"Well then hurry up! I don't want to lose sight of him!" Roxas called to her as he ran out the door.

Aqua ran to follow, but as soon as she got near the door, a red thing suddenly flew past her head and hit the control panel to the electronic door, causing it to slam shut and making it inoperable!

* * *

Roxas jumped and turned around after hearing the door shut, frowning in confusion. "Aqua? What happened?"

"Heh…" A familiar voice spoke up, and Roxas tensed up, quickly whirling around to see Braig. Only… he had a familiar eyepatch on his face, along with a jagged scar on his jaw. "_I_ happened, that's what." He grinned cockily, holding his two Arrowguns loosely in his hands. "Nice to see you again, tiger! Whatcha been up to, huh?"

Roxas was staring at him as if stunned and couldn't decide on who he was. "... Xigbar?" he questioned, still confused.

The man blinked in confusion. "...Xigbar? Oh come on, you're calling me that _again_? As if- my name's Braig, kid! Remember it this time." He frowned a bit at the name mix-up, but he quickly relaxed once more. "Eh… whatever- not like it's too important, really." He smirked, holding his Arrowguns up and aiming them at the Nobody in front of him. "Now then… you gonna be a good kiddy and follow me? Or are we gonna have to get rough?"

Roxas could hear Aqua banging on the door with her Keyblade, trying to either get it to open or break it down, but apparently neither of those options was happening. "I'm going to find another way around, Roxas!" he heard her shout from the other side of the door. "You stay safe, okay?" she called out before her footsteps quickly lead her away from the two of them.

Roxas couldn't help but think of the irony of what she just said. _Great, I'm having a gun pointed at my chest and she tells me to stay safe._ "Are you here to test me again or something?"

Braig chuckled, shaking his head. "As if- nah, this time I've been ordered to take you in. You're pretty tough, I've gotta admit- but this time, I'm allowed to use as much force as needed. So… what's it gonna be, Roxas?"

"Why are you taking me in? It's not like you've known me for long." Roxas said, mostly to try and stall for time, and he wanted to know why the heck he's being chased… again. _First the Organization and now even the past is trying to hunt me down. Is this going to be a regular thing with me?_

Braig shrugged, still seeming pretty relaxed. "Hey, don't ask me- I'm just followin' orders. If you want a reason, ask the one I'm bringing you to, he knows more than me!"

Roxas watched Braig for a second, the two seemed to be analyzing each other in their own way. "...And if I refuse?"

Braig smirked, his finger tensing on the trigger of one of his Arrowguns. "Well then… if you refuse, it's hunting season." Roxas frowned, noting the area around him- it looked eerily similar to where he fought the older man last time, including a ledge high enough that the Nobody wouldn't be able to reach him without using a Shotlock.

The Nobody slowly raised his hands, as if signifying he was going to give up. Braig smirked at that, lowering his Arrowguns slightly, but Roxas was far from giving up, and before the freeshooter could even blink, the boy suddenly kicked his knee and Dodge Rolled quickly before Braig could get back up! When he was a good distance away, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper again and immediately shot out three fireballs as he had seen Aqua do. "FIRE!" It wasn't as good as Aqua's, but hanging around a pyro user almost all his short life did help make it strong enough to be effective.

Braig grunted in pain as one of the fireballs smacked him right in the face, but he merely smirked. "Heh- you call that pain, brat?" He didn't hesitate to fire this time, and the arrows quickly began to fill the air, sizzling as they flew right at Roxas. "Thanks to your friend Terra, I'm used to a lot more than that tiny flame could do! Although I love how you lured me to a false sense of security, you do whatever it takes to defeat your enemies."

Roxas deflected the arrows and slide on the ground to avoid more arrows shooting above his head and he jumped to hit Braig on the side. "What are you talking about? When did you see Terra!?" Roxas snapped as he quickly summoned Reflect around himself before the arrows could hit him.

Braig chuckled, firing off one or two more arrows as he teleported right behind Roxas and punched him right in the back of the head! "That's for me to know and you to find out, tiger- maybe I'll tell you more if you put up a good enough fight!" Then he laughed, teleporting away once more. "Then again, you're tough enough as it is- especially with your sneakiness!"

The young Nobody glared as he shot at Braig with his magic. "THUNDER!" He managed to bring down a lightning bolt to shock Braig, but it wasn't enough to do a lot of damage. Roxas had to try and Dodge Roll out of the way again as Braig was shooting at him rapidly. Like before, Roxas was waiting until he had to stop and reload before he tried to strike again, but Braig teleported out of his reach.

"I can see you~" Braig taunted again as he began shooting at Roxas from a far distance like last time.

Annoyed, Roxas ran around trying to avoid some of the shots before he began trying to deflect them back at his face. Braig hissed in pain at each deflected shot, he had noticed Roxas himself had gotten stronger and faster himself, and he chuckled as he teleported back down and began shooting again.

Roxas hissed in pain when he felt some of the arrows being shot at his back, but he managed to keep from getting hit too much as he jumped and swung Oathkeeper at Braig's arm, who used his Arrowgun to block it. "What happened to your face?" Roxas demanded him as they were at a stalemate.

The eyepatch wearer grinned a bit, trying to push Roxas away. "Heh- you can thank your friend Terra for that! You know, you may have beaten me a bit last time, but he's a _lot_ stronger than you, tiger!"

Roxas glared as he pushed back. "A lot stronger you say?" _Why would Terra do that to someone? I mean… he doesn't seem to be the type of guy who would hurt someone so much that it would cause a scar and eye damage…_ "What did you do to make him hurt you like that?"

Braig laughed, finally pushing Roxas away and firing off a few shots right at the Nobody's gut. "What, you think little ol' me did something to him? As if! He's just a fighter, plain and simple- unlike you, Roxas. You use your head, unlike those Keyblade Wielders you call friends!"

Roxas stood up as he glared, his magic energy was low after using a lot of it earlier, so he slowly dug into his pocket to get an Ether. "What do you mean by that? I'm not the only one who uses my head in battle. Aqua's very intelligent when she fights, her creativity with her magic proves that, Ven uses speed to outmaneuver his opponents, and Terra uses his own strategy since he's slower than the three of us."

Braig shook his head, growing more and more amused with each passing moment as he fired off a couple shots that made a few sharp turns and slammed right into Roxas's back. "Oh? Well, do you think they'd kick me in the leg?" Roxas blinked at that, surprised. "Oh come on- you're the only one who's gonna fight dirty, tiger! And I respect you for that, unlike the Keyblade."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas snapped. "If I didn't do anything you would've shot me in a fatal area!" The boy may be smart, but he does seem easily agitated, which Braig noticed.

The older opponent shook his head in amusement, dodging as Roxas tossed his Keyblade towards Braig. "Maybe, but it's 'dishonorable', don't ya think? Heck, I'm surprised you didn't know about that considering all Keyblade Masters pound that into every student's head, but you're smarter than that- you use absolutely _anything _you can to defeat your opponents, dishonorable or not!"

This confused Roxas, he managed to down his Ether while dodging Braig's shots, but what he said bothered the Nobody. Because of Roxas's past and that he was basically raised by Organization XIII, they always told him to fight by any means necessary, there was no such thing as 'honor' in their book, just fight and win. "Dishonorable? Does it really matter what method you use to fight? In the end it's usually fighters just hitting each other and trying to come out on top."

Roxas, of course, knew that there were some exceptions to that, like in a sporting tournament like the Struggle, there were rules and regulations. And he's also aware of how some people uses the 'coward's way' by holding hostages. But normally when in a life or death battle situation, he didn't really think too much on 'fighting honorably', just that he needed to survive and get the upper hand however he could.

Braig, by this point, was half considering dropping his Arrowguns and just laugh, but if he did, he knew his employer wouldn't be happy. So he fired off a few shots and continued to taunt the boy. "You must have a really interesting Master then- most Keyblade Masters, Eraqus included, teach that you shouldn't use 'dishonorable' tactics to defeat an opponent! Heck, maybe _I_ should go to him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

The young time traveler frowned at this before he guarded against more shots, and they hit Braig while he laughed. Roxas glared, but the battle was hard to concentrate with the freeshooter's constant taunts. "I still don't understand what's so dishonorable with the way I fight!" Then he gasped when Braig suddenly got close to his face!

Braig shrugged, slamming Roxas's head into his knee before shoving the poor Nobody away. "Hey, I've got nothing against it- it's most Keyblade Wielders themselves that'd hate your tactics, tiger! I actually respect you for it, really I do! Now I'm starting to see why my employer has such an interest in you… Hey, maybe you can get Terra to follow your tactics too- he's already halfway there after all!"

Roxas had it with this guy, he didn't really like Xigbar and this guy was just as bad if not worse! The boy used Aeroga to create what was essentially a tornado around him, causing the arrow shots to completely miss before he jumped and glided suddenly at Braig, who was caught off guard by this since he didn't see Roxas glide the first time they fought! Roxas's Oathkeeper glowed with electricity, he was using some Thunder magic and fusing it into his Keyblade before he slashed at Braig's gut, causing him to recoil and gave Roxas the chance to combo him into the ground!

When both of them landed, though Braig harshly and Roxas on his feet, the Nobody used Cura to heal himself from most of the damage before he watched Braig, wondering if the battle was over or not.

Groaning in pain, the man slowly stood up, leaning on one of his Arrowguns, before he suddenly began to laugh. Roxas flinched at the sudden hysterical sound. "Ahahaha! Oh man… Not bad, tiger! Not bad at all!" He glanced up, giving a slightly feral grin. "Guess you don't need armor after all- not with your tactics…" He shook his head, still amused as he pulled out a Hi Potion and uncorked it. "Geez… You nearly hit as hard as Terra…"

Roxas panted from exhaustion, but he was still battle ready, glaring. "Was that supposed to be funny?"

"As if! I should learn by now not to mess with you Keyblade Wielders, such an annoyance." Braig chuckled humorlessly.

"So what? Aren't you still going to try and take me in on whoever's orders?" Roxas demanded.

The older man shrugged, smirking weakly. "Heh… Of course- but not right now, I'm not stupid ya know." He groaned a bit, rubbing his side in pain. "Ugh, that's gonna sting for a few days… Not any worse than what Terra did, though…"

"... Why would Terra do that… to you?" Roxas asked almost too quietly, he was still confused as to why someone like Terra would do such a thing to a person. Roxas wasn't a stranger to death or permanent scars or damage, but it shocked him that_ Terra _of all people would do something like that.

Braig's smirk grew as he noticed Roxas's growing worry and doubt. "Heh… Don't worry, he wouldn't do it if he had a choice- he just got too angry and went into his pool of untapped power like you do every fight."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Roxas spat. "At least I didn't try to finish you off when I _should_." _Mostly because I _can't_, because if I do, Xigbar wouldn't exist and that would just mess everything up._

Braig chuckled weakly, shaking his head softly. "Perhaps, perhaps not… but you want an answer to what Terra did?" Straightening his back, he reached up and pulled up his eyepatch, to Roxas's shock. "Well… he did _this_."

The time traveler shook his head and glared, specifically not looking at the dark hole in the man's eye socket. "I didn't ask _what_ he did… I asked _why _he did it." Roxas then looked up again, frowning a bit. "Well… if you're not going to fight anymore, then just leave. I have some friends to find."

Braig chuckled dryly, shrugging as he began to walk away. "I suppose, tiger… It's too bad, though- you'd be nearly unstoppable if you had armor, too… But I guess it makes sense, really…"

"I don't need any armor." Roxas said with a frown. "I don't call myself a true Keyblade Wielder. You wonder why my 'Master' never gave me armor?" By this, he's referring to Xemnas since he's the closest person to be his master.

Braig glanced back, smirking. "Heh… As if- after all, you're nothing like the old man said most Keyblade Wielders are… if anything, you're a loose cannon- and a loose cannon can be pretty powerful…" He chuckled a bit more as a Corridor of Darkness opened up in front of him. "Well then… I'll see you some other time, tiger…"

When Braig disappeared, leaving Roxas alone to his thoughts, and the Nobody couldn't help but think… _A loose cannon? … Wait, 'old man'? … Vanitas said 'old coot' before… and the only 'real bad guy' I've come across was Xehanort and he looks pretty old… I wonder…_ Roxas frowned as he began walking down the corridor of the ship, beginning to see just who is the real mastermind behind all this.

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: Soooo…. did you guys like it? Did you like Roxas's interaction with Aqua? Did you like Roxas's rematch battle against Braig?**

**Key2DestNE: *chuckles* I'm sure they'll tell us in their reviews Fox, you can calm down! I think they've learned their lesson about not leaving one-line reviews like "It's good".**

**DarkFoxKit: Some of them still do. But anyway… I get it, we didn't spell the Magic Spells right, but honestly, it's been a long time since I last played it- and I don't pay attention to the spelling of the magic, I just remember there are 'gs' and 'as' in it. Also, about that black coat, if you recall, we said in another AN that the coat isn't gone forever, just for a while.**

**Key2DestNE: Hmm… anything else? ...Ah- here's one reviewer semi-complaining about so many mysteries and so few answers! Heh… Well, I'll let you take this one, Fox.**

**DarkFoxKit: That's a complaint? I see that as a more eager type thing than a complaint. They really want to see more to answer those questions. As for who is in that black coat… you'll find out very soon. I think you will in the next chapter even!**

**Key2DestNE: Hmm… Yeah, there aren't many questions this time around. Heh… but I think when you unravel all the secrets involving Roxas's time travel, you'll be able to go back and see the hints in the earlier chapters~ *wink***

**DarkFoxKit: And until next time everybody, this is DarkFoxKit and my partner Key2DestNE and we look forward to hearing from you!**


	13. Chapter 12: The Dark Master

**DarkFoxKit: Uh… So yeah, Key had to take a vacation, so I'm alone here… but-**

**Key2DestNE: *crashes through a window and rolls into place in front of her, springing up and making a huge banner appear* THE GREAT AND POWERFUL KEY2DESTNE IS BACK, EVERYBODY!**

**DarkFoxKit: WHAT THE BLOODY HECK!? Why are you here!? You said you wanted a break like two days ago!**

**Key2DestNE: *is chuckling mischievously* And I DID- over a week ago~ *outside the window, a time hole disappears, ready for Roxas to use it next.* But I'm back now! What, did you really think I'd miss THIS chapter, silly Foxie? *boops her nose* :3**

**DarkFoxKit: ….. *slowly walks into a closet and shuts the door.* …. *BOOOOOOM! BZZZZZZZZZT!* *Jumps out of the closet, completely singed.* It's not a dream… you actually CAME BACK!?**

**Key2DestNE: *is still grinning mischievously* Hey, I said I'd be back after a while! We can talk about this afterwards- we have an AN to do, DarkFoxKitty!**

**DarkFoxKit: … *picks up a shotgun* Yes… we do…. nighty-night~**

**Key2DestNE: … O_O I'm just now remembering why I left. *quickly holds his hands above his head* W-wait! Wait! Before you shoot me, you have to do the disclaimer and stuff!**

**DarkFoxKit: *BANG* Hah! It was only a popper gun, you should've seen the look on your face! Also, neither of us own Kingdom Hearts, or the characters, just the concept, and frankly I'm surprised nobody else came up with something like this yet. *throws the gun back before giving a big, wide smile at Key.***

**Key2DestNE: ...Y-yeah… me neither… now I'll just… be going now! *begins to nervously back up before turning tail and running as fast as he could* WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! CRAZY AUTHOR ON THE LOOOOOOSE!**

**DarkFoxKit: *charges at Key and glomps him!* I'VE MISSED YOUUUUU!**

**_Key2DestNE: WAH! GET OFF ME YOU CRAZY WOMA- *cue the static as he accidentally knocks over the camera*  
_**

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Dark Master**

Roxas was running, taking down any weak Unversed that tried to fight him. He was looking for Aqua or 626, but mostly his mind was elsewhere, plagued by what Braig said to him, making him question himself and Terra.

Roxas destroyed one of the weaker Unversed with Oblivion, dashing down another corridor while avoiding cameras. _Terra caused Xigbar's scar…? But… why did he never mention that? And… why did Braig call me a loose cannon? I know I need to work on my temper, but he made it sound like I could just go off and put everyone in danger!_

Roxas stopped when he came to a door, panting a bit, but he mostly tried to come to terms with Braig's words. _He said I fought dirty and not honorably like Keyblade Wielders should… but Axel taught me that sometimes the best way to take out a powerful enemy is to catch them off guard, is that really dishonorable? Aqua, Ven and Terra never seemed to complain when I fought with them…_

The Key to Destiny frowned a bit, still thinking it over, before he heard a familiar voice speaking behind the door. "Ah, Experiment 626! Is good to finally find you- come, I will fix abnormality, and ridiculous behavior stops once and for all."

Roxas blinked a few times before shaking his head- it was time to dispel these thoughts, it's not like Braig knew him really well and he could've just said those things to psyche him out. The Nobody opened the door and headed on through, seeing Jumba walking towards 626, who seemed to be complaining at him in his alien language.

"There you are!" Roxas said in relief as he approached them.

"Roxas!" 626 spoke happily at seeing him again while the Nobody bent down to pet him, which the little blue alien seemed to like.

Jumba frowned, turning around. "And here I am thinking you had left with Terra."

"Roxas!" another voice called out, surprising the time traveler boy. Roxas turned to see it was Aqua, looks like she arrived the same time he did. "I'm glad you're okay." Then she looked at the two aliens, frowning slightly. "Dr. Jumba and Experiment 626… I was authorized to take you both into custody."

"What? Wait, Aqua don't…" Roxas frowned as he stood up, shaking his head. "You shouldn't do this!"

626, however, had his attention set on another object- the makeshift Wayfinder in Aqua's hand. He crouched down and bounded towards it, crying out, "Terra!" He quickly snatched it up, beginning to nuzzle it like a child would do to it's favorite toy.

Aqua looked at him, shocked at this, "So… it was yours? But… where did you see that shape?"

Roxas blinked before realizing why 626 was fondling over it and why he kept saying 'Terra'. "Oh, I get it now… I guess it must've been when he took Terra's Wayfinder before… he must've seen how important it was to him, and I guess 626 wanted to make one of his own to be his friend." _I guess it's kinda like me with ice cream and Axel, sharing ice cream together represented friendship to me._ Then Roxas remembered that Wayfinder that strange man in the black cloak gave him earlier.

Curious, Roxas took out the Wayfinder from his pocket, looking at it. 626 noticed and smiled, pointing at his own and the one in Roxas's hand. "Terra! Roxas! Friends!" the little blue alien in red said happily.

Aqua looked at Roxas's Wayfinder, confused as to where he got it. _Strange… where did he get a Wayfinder? And… why does it look so similar to _Ven's _Wayfinder?_ But she decided not to question it out loud for now as she couldn't help but smile at the little alien, for something that was supposedly dangerous, he seemed more like a little kid.

Jumba scoffed, walking forward. "Yes, is copy he made of good luck charm Terra show to him. Terra said friend gave him charm. Was very protective of it…" he sighed, shaking his head. "And now, because of Terra and his little bauble, my genius creation is hesitating in his genetically programmed destructive instincts! Just _look_ at him!"

"I think that it's a _good_ thing, really." Roxas said with a soft smile.

* * *

Suddenly a plasma shot came out of nowhere and 626 barely jumped out of the way. Aqua gasped when she saw who shot at him. "What are you doing? We are to take them in alive, remember!?" It was Captain Gantu, and he was pointing a still-smoking laser blaster right at the little blue alien!

Roxas glared as he didn't hesitate to summon Oblivion again, he really didn't like this guy. "Hmph- guess you don't care about orders, _Captain._" he jeered.

Gantu glared at the Nobody back, "So, almost all the fugitives are here. Too bad we're missing one, but that's still better than just two." Then he turned to Aqua, scowling. "I've decided to take a _new_ approach. Alright, you three… any last words before I blast you into a million pieces?" Experiment 626 seemed to smirk as he said something that sounded quite rude even to those that didn't understand his language. "Why you- I am just big boned!"

"Look out!" Roxas rolled away from Gantu's plasma gun. Jumba went to go hide and get out of the cross fire. Aqua, Roxas and 626 all glared as they teamed up to take down the big alien captain.

"Let's finish this!" Gantu snapped as he shot at Aqua and Roxas since they were in front of him, but both Keyblade Wielders dodge roll/cartwheel out of the way before both of them slide over to him with speed and began slashing at him with their Keyblades. "Gah! Hold STILL!" He swiped at them with his hand that wasn't holding his blaster, but they both jumped back as their little furry ally fired his own blaster to cover their retreat.

Aqua pointed her Keyblade right at the big alien, firing off a bunch of fireballs and adding a few ice balls right behind them. "Freeze! Freeze!" She continued to fire off spell after spell, including the occasional Thunder.

Roxas was impressed by her display of magic, he knew some pretty good magic himself but they were nowhere near Aqua's level. _Wow, she's gotten a lot stronger since I last saw her._

Then Aqua suddenly was surrounded in a bright pink and purple aura! "Command Style: Spell Weaver!" She smirked, her Keyblade beginning to hover beside her. "Great!" She began to swing her Keyblade around, hitting the alien captain over and over before firing off a ball of light, hitting him right in the chest. "Gotcha!"

Gantu was a lot bulkier and studier than Roxas thought, because even after all that, he was still standing. He put away his big plasma gun and charged at them! Roxas was still in awe at the display Aqua did that he didn't react fast enough to dodge Gantu's incoming attack! And boy, did the big alien hit like a TRUCK! "Gah!" He groaned in pain as he was hit into the air before quickly recovering and managed to dive with his Oblivion to smack Gantu on the head as payback.

Gantu was groaning over his headache that Roxas caused him and 626 took out his own plasma guns, which were smaller to fit his own hands, but they seem to pack quite a punch themselves as he hit Gantu who grunted in pain from each blast. Finally, Gantu recovered enough to take out his own plasma gun and began firing rapidly!

Everyone quickly ducked behind separate crates that were in the area, and Aqua occasionally hit Gantu with another spell that seemed much more powerful for some reason. "Fire! Freeze! Thunder!" Finally, she began to glow a brighter violet color, almost losing the pink completely as her Keyblade turned into a huge long sword made of light! "Command Style: Blade Charge!"

While Aqua was doing a lot of flashy combos on Gantu, Roxas heard 626 calling out to him. "Roxas!" he was bouncing around as if trying to signal the boy to do something with him.

Roxas blinked as he watched the little blue alien constantly curling up into a literal ball, trying to bounce, until the young Nobody understood what he wanted. "Alright!" He rushed over to 626 and grabbed him when he turned into a ball, allowing Roxas to easily throw him right at Gantu's head!

"WHAT!?" Gantu shouted as 626 began slashing and biting at his head! "Get off, you little monster! OW! Not the fins!"

Roxas joined with Aqua trying to combo Gantu while 626 was distracting him. _Geez, how much could one guy take? He's even sturdier than Saix in his Berserk mode!_

Gantu by this point was panting heavily, but he finally threw the Experiment off of his head, firing plasma beams that hit him dead-on! "Ha! Gotcha, you little- WHAT!?" To his shock, not only was the blue fuzzy alien okay, he stuck out his tongue mockingly. "Why you…!"

Gantu began slapping his big arms around, hitting both Aqua and Roxas, and boy did it hurt! The guy can hit like a freaking monster truck and both Aqua and Roxas were feeling the hurt. Roxas had to down a Hi-Potion already while Aqua used Curaga to heal herself.

Roxas tried to analyze the situation while Gantu was distracted with 626. _Close combat with this guy is dangerous, he moves slow but his attacks are downright painful. Aqua has a lot of magic in her arsenal, but even then it would be hard to hit him with his constant shooting. There has to be another way…_ The young Nobody looked over at Aqua, who looked like she was trying to analyze the situation herself, but unlike Roxas, she didn't stay hidden for too long before she suddenly flashed with fire aura around her body!

"What the?" Roxas was immediately reminded of Axel when he saw the flames around Aqua's body, like she just powered herself up using her fire magic.

Aqua smiled, her Keyblade surrounded with flames that looked odd around the flowers. "Command Style: Firestorm!" She began slashing away at Captain Gantu, leaving burn marks every time she made a hit. "Fire!" To Roxas's shock, she fired a huge fireball, one that was nearly the size of their opponent! Then after she finished her combo, she set ablaze the floor all around Gantu!

"Whoa… Axel would be so jealous." Roxas chuckled to himself. Gantu growled as he began firing his plasma ray everywhere again, covered in a bunch of wounds and scratches all over his body.

Roxas had to dodge roll because the plasma gun destroyed the crate he was using as a cover. Then Roxas slide over at Gantu and hit his leg, trying to keep him from charging again. 626 shot at Gantu before running over back to him, wanting Roxas to throw him again at Gantu's face.

"Let's do it!" Roxas grabbed 626 and threw him right at Gantu's face again, just before he attacked. Then he noticed Aqua was giving him a curious look before she ran to attack too. Both Keyblade Wielders did their combos on Gantu just before he could throw 626 off!

The giant alien groaned in pain, and as they slashed at his legs, he muttered, "Not again…" Roxas and Aqua jumped back, ready to strike again, 626 was on the other side, snapping his teeth. Gantu took aim with his plasma gun, growling out "I'm not finished with you yet."

* * *

"ENOUGH!" a high authority voice suddenly shouted, stopping the fight. "I've witnessed everything on the monitor." It was the Grand Council Woman. She walked passed Gantu, who was frantic when she made her appearance known.

"Grand Council Woman! I-I can explain!" he quickly try to say, but she ignored him as she walked towards Aqua and Roxas.

The high authority alien spoke, "You've been a great service, Aqua. Thank you." Then she looked at the younger boy beside her. "And I apologize, it seems there was a misunderstanding with you. You're no longer considered a fugitive here since you had helped Aqua and are clearly a friend of her's."

Roxas nodded to her as he bowed with respect, hiding a faint smile of relief. "Thank you, your Highness." _Finally, no more hiding from cameras like I've been doing! That was getting old _really_ fast…_

The Grand Council Woman's lips quirked up in a faint smile before she turned to Captain Gantu, frowning. "Captain Gantu! Escort 626 to the asteroid to which he's been banished. When you return, you're back on patrol."

The huge alien groaned at that, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. "Not patrol! Please, I-" he stopped at the look the Grand Council Woman gave him, and he sighed. "...Yes, Grand Council Woman… I-I understand…"

Roxas and Aqua looked over at 626, who looked rather calm about this as he nuzzled his Wayfinder. 626 and Jumba were being walked out with some soldiers holding plasma guns behind them so they won't try to escape again.

Aqua frowned, however, taking a step forward. "Please, your Highness, will you consider sparing Experiment 626?"

"Spare him?" the high authority alien said as if in shock. "He's far too dangerous, we can't do that. I know you have worked hard, however we _cannot_ release such a menace."

Roxas spoke up, crossing his arms with a frown. "But… he's a friend of mine too, he's helped us along the way. I know he's dangerous, but… he's at least _trying _to make friends, and maybe if you'll give him a chance… he could show you he could be good too." The Nobody couldn't help but think back when he was first admitted into the Organization, he was like a zombie and nobody wanted anything to do with him, only Axel gave him a chance, and thus began their friendship with each other, and he knows that 626 could do the same.

"..." The alien woman sighed, slowly walking towards them both. "Very well, you two… _if_ he behaves himself, I will consider shortening his exile. How much will depend on his behavior, but I will still need to exile him for a short time, at the very least."

"I'm very happy to hear that." Roxas said in relief. _Well… at least it's better than nothing- besides, I'm sure he'll do great!_

Aqua gave a small smile in relief herself, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, ma'am…" She then walked forwards to Experiment 626, before leaning down and putting a gentle hand on his Wayfinder. The alien blinked curiously, glancing up at her. "I like the charm you made. Do you think maybe… my circle of friends could become part of yours? My name is Aqua- my friends are Terra, Ventus, and Roxas."

626 gave a smile as he tried to say their names. "Ah-koo...wah, frien. Terra… Ven… Roxas."

Roxas chuckled as he approached the little blue alien. "Yeah, and hey, Ventus looks a lot like me, but keep in mind we're two different people, okay?" 626 nodded in understanding before he turned around, beginning to follow both Jumba and the Grand Council Woman.

* * *

Aqua gave a faint smile before turning to the Nobody beside her. "Well… this was certainly an exciting adventure on this ship, to say the least." She frowned a bit, crossing her arms as she grew serious. "Now… why aren't you back home, young man?"

Roxas groaned at that statement, his shoulders slumping. "Oh come on Aqua, I have as much right to be out here as you. Okay maybe I'm not some Keyblade Master, but I do have my own reasons. Besides, the last time you tried to get me and Ven to go home, we ended up in space… or at least _I_ did. I don't know where Ven is right now."

Aqua blinked at that, but she hesitated. "...You make a good point… but…" _But what if you get hurt? I… if Roxas got hurt… _again_… I don't know if I could forgive myself…_

"Aqua… listen… I get it, you're worried for me. But even though I'm only a 'kid', I've seen and done things that even grown men find disturbing. It's not that big of deal, but… please try not to worry about me… if anything, you should look out for Ventus more- after all, Vanitas is after_ him_." Roxas shrugged, deciding to ignore the fact that now Vanitas was after _both_ of them- Ventus for whatever reason, and Roxas for a good fight. "And you _know_ I can defend myself."

"..." Aqua sighed. "I… suppose… but only on one condition." She crossed her arms, giving a slight frown. "You answer a few questions I have about you, Roxas- and please, answer them truthfully… I know you're hiding things from me, but I want to know some of them, even if you're not willing to reveal _everything_."

"Well, I promise I'll try my best to answer them, Aqua, but… just remember that there are some things better left unsaid." Roxas said with a defeated tone. "So… what are these questions?"

Aqua frowned, crossing her arms thoughtfully as she sat down on a nearby crate. "First… why haven't you heard of Shotlocks? And you seemed surprised by my Command Styles too- why is that?"

"What? I never said I haven't heard of Shotlocks… and the Command Style looked pretty advanced, so I never seen it before." Roxas answered the best he could without revealing he never had a Keyblade Master to teach him anything.

Aqua frowned a bit, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "...I suppose that makes sense… alright then. What about that Wayfinder of yours?" Roxas blinked at that, surprised. "It looks a lot like the Wayfinder I gave to Ven…"

"Ven has one?" Roxas asked, blinking in surprise. "Well I got this from someone, but I didn't know who they were, and I couldn't see their face. I don't even know their name, but they just handed it to me and left." He was truthful with this one, he honestly _didn't_ know anything about them. "Funny thing is… I couldn't help but think they know me somehow…"

Aqua frowned at that, closing her eyes to think for a moment. _So someone Roxas doesn't know gave him a Wayfinder? …This _screams_ fishiness… but I can't just follow Roxas forever…_ "Alright… Next question- how many keychains do you have?" _I only have about ten myself… but I've seen Roxas transform his Keyblade into two forms so far._

"Only three, if you count my Keyblade's original keychain. I've lost most of them when I suddenly appeared in the Land of Departure." Roxas explained, summoning the Kingdom Key to show her before dismissing it.

Aqua nodded, before what he said registered in her mind. "Wait… _most_ of them? How many keychains did you _have_ originally?" She looked at him in surprise, finding it hard to imagine he had more than ten, but the way he said that…

Roxas blinked at her sudden shock at this, he didn't think it'd be _that _surprising. "Well… about… twenty-four if I remember right, why?"

"..." Aqua twitched slightly. "...Roxas… I have _ten_ keychains- how long have you been a Keyblade Wielder?"

Roxas blinked again… he thought keychains were more common than Keyblades, but she only had TEN? The Nobody soon realized the pitfall he dug himself in and he hoped he could fix it before too much damage is done. "About a year…" he answered honestly.

"..." Aqua gave him a flabbergasted look. "I… I see… And… how often have you traveled while being a Keyblade Wielder?" _He's been one for a _year_ and he's this powerful? He's nearly as strong as me if not more so!_

Roxas was getting uncomfortable with how she was looking at him like he just announced he accepted darkness or something. "Well… my Master was pretty strict but he also pushed me a lot, Kingdom Hearts forbid that he doesn't let me travel out into other worlds and fight for one day." Again, he was referring to either Xemnas or Saix here.

"..." Aqua sighed slightly in relief, feeling much better about that. _Well… if he's been out there for a year, then I suppose that's actually not as unbelievable as I thought… It's still a lot to take in… but at least it's somewhat physically _possible_. _"So your Master… does he have a hands-on approach to training you? Or does he let you do everything by yourself?"

The young time traveler seemed uncomfortable about that, he wondered what was the best way to answer this without seeming _too_ odd. "... In a way… I guess it was both."

Aqua blinked at that, before considering that for herself. "...I see…" _If he has a combination of personal experience and training… well, then that would certainly explain how powerful he is. But… _"...How do you travel to other worlds if you don't have armor or a Keyblade Glider?"

Now this was a tricky one, but Roxas figured she might've asked this question. "Well, there _are _other means to travel that doesn't use the armor or the Keyblade Glider…" he remembered how Sora got around from his memories of him. "Have you ever heard of Gummi Ships?" Of course, Roxas himself never actually rode a Gummi Ship, but he certainly wasn't going to tell her that he uses the Corridor of Darkness to get around. The Gummi Ship was less of a red flag to say the least.

Aqua blinked in confusion, but then her eyes lit up in realization. _Of course! If one Gummi Block can take you to any world when you're able to harness it's power…! _"...I suppose that makes a lot of sense." she admitted. "Here's another one… why did you and Ven split up?"

Roxas chuckled a bit at that, now that one was easier to answer. "Well Ven probably wanted to travel alone for a bit, so he left me. I ended up going with Terra because he was in the same world at the time."

Aqua blinked in surprise, before she frowned in thought. _Considering how often it's been that we've gone to the same world… _"...Which one was it, Roxas? Can you describe it?"

"It was a big coliseum. There was a goat man named Phil who apparently can't count, an awkward boy with a lot of strength, and another energetic boy who wore a helmet and has raven black hair." Roxas described.

Aqua blushed a bit, remembering that world. "O-oh, right… the coliseum…" _I still can't believe that boy, Zack, asked me out on a _date_!_ "Well… I have one last question- how did you get to the Land of Departure?"

Roxas blinked at that and said, frowning in confusion, "Why are you asking me that again? Didn't I already tell you how I ended up there? I fell through a hole and it just dropped me on top of Ven. I know it's weird, but that's really what happened." _At least she's not asking me if my 'Master' is worried, that would be awkward to answer._

Aqua frowned, closing her eyes in thought. _Well… he's not changing his story, at least- that gives it a semblance of truth…_ She slowly nodded, before she thought of something. "...What world did you train on the most, Roxas? Was it the one your Master called home?"

"... Yes, that and sometimes he made me train at the coliseum world." Roxas answered, hoping she wouldn't ask the world's name, because he's sure 'The World That Never Was' wouldn't make any sense. "Is that everything you wanted to know, Aqua?"

The Keyblade Master sighed, but she nodded after a moment of thinking. "I suppose so…" _I can't think of anything else, at least. _"...If you're ready to leave, Roxas, you can join me. I don't think there's anything else to do on this world…"

Roxas shook his head, he didn't know how but he just felt that his job here wasn't done yet. "Not yet, I know there's still something left for me to do here. You go on ahead Aqua, your mission here is done, but I need to stay a little longer." Aqua frowned, looking like she was going to protest, but he spoke up before she could. "Remember, you said you'd trust me now if I answered all of your questions. You have your own mission to do, Aqua, and I have mine."

"..." Aqua mentally groaned. _I know I _should_ trust him… but… he's still a kid… _After a few moments, she sighed. "I guess you're right, Roxas. Just… please be careful, okay? And be sure to use the hidden health spots as often as possible- I don't want you to be gravely injured because of past battles!"

"Thanks Aqua!" Roxas smiled at her, giving a small wave. "I'll be sure to see you and Terra later!" Aqua sighed as she summoned her armor and her Keyblade Glider.

"And I'll be seeing you and Ven later too." Aqua said to him. "Be careful out there, Roxas." And with that, she flew off into the Realms of Between.

* * *

Roxas sighed in relief, although he likes Aqua, she can be pretty overbearing when she's worried like that. "Now I know what it feels like to have a Mom…"

"Oh?" Roxas froze, hearing an all too familiar gravelly-sounding voice behind him. "What do you mean by that, Roxas?"

The Nobody quickly spun around, wondering just how long the old coot was standing there! "Why are you here!?" he demanded, immediately summoning Oathkeeper to his hand.

Xehanort chuckled softly, giving a small smirk. "Why… an old man cannot watch over a Keyblade Wielder he finds interesting? I'm hurt, Roxas… I thought you knew me better than to be concerned!"

Roxas wasn't taking any chances, he was already in his battle stance as his new opponent was talking. Xehanort was strong, even for an old man he was not someone to underestimate. "What do you want with _me_ then? I thought you were after only Eraqus's students, which I'm clearly _not_!"

Xehanort chuckled, and Roxas shuddered at how it sounded like rocks falling down a mountain. "Perhaps not… however, you _are_ closely linked to them. Not to mention how often you've thwarted my attempts to learn more about you- you're more powerful than you seem, boy."

"To learn more about me?" Roxas frowned at that. "So… you've been spying on me and how I fight? … I'm guessing it was you who sent Braig and Vanitas after me then?"

Xehanort's smirk only grew at that question, practically confirming Roxas's suspicions even if his next statement hadn't done that. "I see you have incredible logic as well- my, my… you're growing more and more interesting every moment! However… I can't allow you to escape this time, Roxas." He held out his hand, and Roxas tensed up when the Keyblade Master's weapon appeared in a familiar flash of light. "I suggest you come quietly, so we don't have to tire ourselves more than necessary."

"I still don't know why you want me in particular, surely this big plan of yours doesn't involve some stranger you've never met before." Roxas hissed, he didn't like the odds… The Nobody knew he was at a disadvantage because he was tired from his previous battles with Gantu and Braig, he hadn't had time to find a health spot, and now he's thrust into another battle!

"Oh, perhaps not… however, plans always need backups, my dear boy." Xehanort's smirk turned dark and cruel as he pointed his Keyblade right at his opponent. "And you are too wonderful a backup to merely lose due to your reluctance… Now will you come quietly, or will you need to be_ beaten_ into submission, Roxas?"

Roxas glared before he suddenly stood up out of his battle stance and held down Oathkeeper to his side. "What's the point? I'm too tired to fight anymore, and you'll just keep coming after me until I agree… I don't belong anywhere…"

Xehanort paused at that, seeming surprised, but he lowered his own Keyblade, seeming satisfied. "Well, I'm glad to see you know reason, Roxas. Come… we shall talk in a more secure location." He gestured with his hand, and a Corridor of Darkness appeared beside him.

Roxas sighed, walking towards Xehanort with his Keyblade still down by his side. He was about to walk into the Corridor before he paused, confusing Xehanort. "...You know… you shouldn't let an opponent get this close." Xehanort's eyes widened, but before he could react any further, Roxas pointed Oathkeeper right at the old man's stomach and fired out both a Blizzaga and a Firaga in succession!

Xehanort grunted in pain, quickly jumping away from the Nobody as the Dark Corridor dissipated. "You…! You managed to trick _me_!?"

Roxas didn't answer to that, instead he slide across the room and managed to hit Xehanort again with Oathkeeper, causing more damage as the old Master hissed and pushed back, using his own Keyblade to block any more attacks.

Although while blocking, Xehanort couldn't help but laugh, sounding amused once more. "Braig was right… you _do_ try to catch your enemies off guard! Impressive indeed…"

Roxas glared as he jumped back and away from Xehanort. "Shut up! I won't listen to anymore of your lies!"

The old man smirked, beginning to cloak himself in darkness. "Oh? What makes you believe I'm lying, dear Roxas? After all, you've already used that tactic against Braig- it's interesting to experience it myself, to say the least!" With that, he charged right at Roxas faster than the eye could blink, surprising the boy!

Roxas didn't have time to block as Xehanort shoved his Keyblade at him! Roxas was pushed back, and the old man shot multiple fireballs at the Nobody! It was clear he wasn't going to hold back this time. Roxas hissed in pain as the flames seared his skin, but he refused to give up now. Roxas managed to recover in the air and his feet hit the wall and he sprung himself at Xehanort and swung his Oathkeeper at the old man!

Roxas quickly began dodge rolling as soon as he hit the floor, not wanting to get hit with a fatal attack like before. Roxas had to keep his distance while at the same time trying to go on offensive. Xehanort had clear mastery over his own Keyblade and magic, because he began shooting out Thundaraga, Firaga, Blizzaraga and even Reflectaga when Roxas tried to hit him with his own magic.

The young Nobody was beginning to lose hope fast as he couldn't find an opening, and he was getting tired of moving around so much. Roxas managed to slide in close as he slashed at Xehanort and then quickly stuck his Keyblade on the floor in order to lift himself and kick the old man. Xehanort grunted in pain, but was far from finished, he only had a bigger gleam in his eyes the more hits Roxas landed on him, it was as if he was testing to see how strong of a fighter Roxas really is.

Roxas absolutely refuse to duel wield in front of Xehanort. It was bad enough with Vanitas and Terra discovering he could wield two Keyblades at once, but having the big bad here knowing is the biggest no-no in his book, so he'll have to make do with just the one. Oathkeeper helped Roxas with his magic and for that he usually prefer to use it when in a situation where he'll have to use magic a lot, Oblivion was meant for more physical and melee fights. Having the two together was a deadly combination, but he couldn't do that here, not without great risks.

"FIRE!" Roxas managed to shoot out three fireballs at once, but only one was able to hit Xehanort. The Nobody came in close to strike again, and then he began to parry against Xehanort's fast reflexes with his own Keyblade.

"You've gotten stronger since the last time we fought, Roxas." Xehanort smirked as the two kept parrying with each other with clashes. "But do you know how to use the Command Style yet?"

Roxas gritted his teeth as he felt color drain from his face… seeing Aqua using the Command Style, he knew how powerful it could be… and if Xehanort knew how to use one, that could be the end of this fight!

Xehanort chuckled darkly, seeing Roxas grow pale was enough of an answer for him. "I see… well then, I suppose this is the end. Pity- you're a wonderful opponent. Ah well…" He pushed the younger boy back, and he suddenly began to glow a bright brown. "Command Style: Rock Breaker!" He swung his Keyblade, and even though he was far away from Roxas, a pillar of rock appeared and flew straight at the boy!

Roxas gasped as he tried to block it since he had no time to dodge or use Reflect, all he could do was brace himself! The attack itself hit even HARDER than Gantu ever did, and that did not spell good news for this fight. Roxas was in a daze, everything was blurry and he couldn't even feel his own body. The Nobody was lying on the floor, looking half conscious.

* * *

Xehanort smirked, walking up to Roxas and gently nudging the boy with his foot. "Hmm… You may be strong indeed- however, you're still just a boy I see…" With that, he began to lean down, and was about to grab his 'prey' before he noticed something coming in at high speed! He quickly jumped back, barely dodging something that speared into the ground where his hand was as he looked around. "Hmm… Who is it this time?"

Roxas, in his half-conscious state, turned his head weakly, and he blinked slowly at what stopped Xehanort from capturing him once and for all. _That… looks almost like… Axel's chakram…? But… how could… that be?_

The weak Nobody then heard footsteps coming closer to him, and they picked up the wheel-like weapon speared into the floor. "Geez Roxas, I can't leave you alone for a minute now can I?"

Roxas could only groan in response. _Is that…? No… it's impossible… I must be growing delusional… There's no way_ he's_ here… is there?_

The cloaked figure was standing in front of him, and they chuckled a bit, placing an Elixir by his feet. "Here… drink this- I can't bring you to a heal spot, but it'll have to do for now, won't it?"

Roxas weakly tried to look up, but his dazed head wouldn't let him, so he'll have to trust this mysterious figure, and he weakly took the Elixir in front of him. While Roxas was trying to get it into his mouth, he heard the person talking to Xehanort.

"And just who are you?" Xehanort all but demanded, clearly sounding annoyed that he couldn't get his prize for the second time in a row.

"What? Are you worried about little ol' me?" The person chuckled mockingly, clearly a male. "I'm flattered, Xehanort, really I am." Their voice, combined with the chakram in their hand, was driving Roxas insane- it all seemed way too familiar!

The old man frowned suspiciously, holding his Keyblade in a battle-ready stance. "...I suppose I know you somehow?" he cautiously asked, still sounding irritated.

"Heh… Nah, you don't know me… but I know everything about you, and that's all you need to know." The man began spinning the chakram in his hand, summoning another one in his other hand as the weapons began to light up in flames. Roxas managed to finally down the Elixir, the powerful medicine quickly healing his body and his magic as best as it could. "You're finally good to go, eh? Good- you wanna help me with this?"

Roxas blinked, finally able to move as he looked up at the hooded figure… he still couldn't see his face, but he was almost positive he saw a pair of emerald green eyes burning brightly in the shadows of the hood. The young Nobody quickly stood up and said, frowning in confusion, "... Axel?"

The cloaked figure laughed at that, shaking his head. "Heh… Close, buddy- close…" He continued to spin his chakrams in his hand, glancing at the Nobody by his side. "I'll explain when I have more time. For now… you gonna help or just stand there like a gaping fish?"

Roxas blinked a few times before shaking his head, smiling, trying to keep the tears from leaking out of his eyes. _That HAS to be Axel! I-I don't know why or how he's here, but he is! And I know I can count on him._ With that, Roxas summoned Oathkeeper once more, getting into his battle stance, feeling hope rising within him once more. "Y-yeah, you bet!"

The figure chuckled one more time, leaning down a bit. "Good- c'mon, let's kick this old coot's keister!"

* * *

Xehanort scowled, beginning to glow with the Rock Breaker Command Style once more. "If you two believe you can defeat me… I suppose I will have to break that notion. I may not know who you are… but you stand no chance against me!"

The cloaked figure chuckled dryly, flames beginning to surround him. "Heh… We'll just have to see about that, won't we, old man?"

Roxas had fought with Axel multiple times before, so this made this battle seemed more natural to him since he got here- heck, since he was in that fake Twilight Town even- and it made him feel a lot better having an ally he didn't have to hide from. Axel started this by throwing his two chakrams right into the pillar of rock heading towards them, setting it on fire before he turned to Roxas, "Now, Roxas!"

Roxas nodded, he didn't have to be told what to do, he just knew. The Key to Destiny jumped right at the burning rock before he threw Oathkeeper at it, causing the rock to completely break from where the chakrams were being lodged in, ultimately defeating the Rock Breaker Command! Roxas and Axel gave each other a quick high five before they charged at Xehanort together.

Axel smirked, tossing a chakram at Xehanort. The old man blocked it, but he was unable to block the second one that impaled his leg. "Gah! Why you…! Dark Volley!" He fired off a few Dark Firagas at the two, quickly pulling out the chakram.

Roxas deflected the Dark Firagas with his Keyblade as he followed it up with a combo of his own at Xehanort, who grunted in pain at each hit. "Take that!" He slammed Oathkeeper into Xehanort's chest for good measure before he quickly jumped away.

Angry, Xehanort stood up and pierced the floor with his Keyblade, he began putting in some dark energy into the blade and suddenly the floor and walls around the two began to glow with dark aura. Roxas and Axel looked around as they sensed the powerful darkness surrounding them. With a twitch of his finger, Xehanort had the walls shoot dark beams at them!

Roxas gasped as he quickly swung Oathkeeper to deflect them, Axel doing the same with his chakrams. The dark lasers were coming at them constantly, making it hard for them to breathe as they couldn't stop or they'd be bombarded with the attack!

However, as powerful an attack as it was, it was also clearly energy-draining, and Xehanort stopped it a few moments before the two friends would be overwhelmed. Axel smirked, glancing at Roxas. "You ready?" He held out his chakram, and Roxas nodded, electrifying it with a quick Thunder. "Let's do this!" He tossed it up into the air, letting Roxas slam his Keyblade into it and send it right at the elderly Xehanort!

Xehanort yelled out in pain, but he was far from finished. The old man stood up and casted a green light on himself, he had used Curaga to heal some of the damage. Xehanort then decided to take another approach, this time the more physical one- these two were dangerous together, he wanted to try and separate them.

Roxas gasped when Xehanort suddenly charged at them with such speed that he only thought Vanitas was capable of doing! Xehanort attacked Roxas with his Keyblade, and the Nobody reacted quickly and parried him with Oathkeeper, causing the two to start clashing. Xehanort, of course, didn't forget about Axel, he summoned a lot of Dark Blizzaraga and aimed the dark ice crystals all at Axel, giving the pyro user something to play with while he tries to take down Roxas once more.

Roxas had noticed this as he was trying to parry Xehanort. _Smart, he knew Axel and myself were too dangerous to take on together so he's trying to separate us..._

The two Keyblade Wielders continued to clash against each other's Keyblades, until eventually Roxas pushed the older man away. Taking advantage of this, he jumped back and aimed a Shotlock right at Xehanort. Although he still wasn't very good at using the Shotlock, he was able to aim a lot faster now and shot out light energy at the dark user. The beams of light were now being fired in a more rapid pace, similar to how when he used his Limit attack with his own light pillars. Roxas is able to guide or scramble the beams of light he shoots out, making it hard for Xehanort to dodge or deflect them.

Roxas managed to do this for about a minute before he ran out of energy for the Shotlocks, and he quickly began dodge rolling in hopes of keeping Xehanort from getting to him again.

Meanwhile, Axel was still trying to destroy the Dark Blizzaragas without said darkness exploding and causing him damage. He gritted his teeth in pain as one of the ice balls slammed into his back, forcing his hood to come off and revealing spiky red hair. "Gah! That is IT!" He kicked the ice ball back, tossing a chakram at it before engulfing everything around it in flames. "_BURN_, BABY!"

The sudden burst of flames distracted Xehanort for a second, allowing Roxas to hit his side by tossing his Keyblade at him! Roxas then charged at Xehanort again, and he lifted Oathkeeper up. "THUNDER!" He had a lightning bolt strike at Xehanort, in hopes of paralyzing him to keep him from moving around too much. Thankfully it worked well enough, making the older man just slow enough to be unable to block Roxas's next combo.

Xehanort hissed but he managed to grab Roxas's shirt, forcing the Nobody to a stop. "I won't be defeated so easily!" he snapped at the boy before throwing him in the air. Roxas noticed a dark aura surrounding the old man, and the darkness had spiked ten fold. The Nobody saw Xehanort smirking before he all but teleported right above him! Roxas managed to perform a Reversal in the air, barely dodging his Keyblade strike, but he had to keep using Reversal just to stay _alive_ at this point!

Axel sighed in relief when the ice balls were gone, but he glanced up, noticing Roxas barely dodging Xehanort's constant strikes. "Hang on, buddy!" He frowned worriedly, before tossing both chakrams at Xehanort. Thankfully, this distracted the old man long enough for Roxas to retaliate and slam his Keyblade into Xehanort's back, sending him flying into the ground!

The strong darkness Xehanort was using kept him from being injured too much, but it was clear that he was tired as he stood up from the small crater he made on the ship's floor… Well, more like a dent than a crater. "I see… You both possess a lot of power." He looked at Roxas, his yellow eyes never ceasing to creep the Nobody out. "Fine… you win for now, but mark my words boy, I _will_ have you when the time comes." He scowled, forming a Corridor of Darkness behind him.

Roxas glared, pointing his Keyblade right at the old man's chest. "Just try and take me, I'll make sure you'll fail again." Xehanort just huffed angrily before he backed into the corridor and it disappeared. Roxas sighed in relief at that, finally showing his exhaustion from the fight.

* * *

With the threat gone, Roxas all but fell to the floor on his butt, dismissing Oathkeeper, but he smiled up at Axel. "Thanks… you saved me again, Axel. And… I'm sorry about-" Poke. "..." He blinked as he went cross-eyed to see the finger poking his forehead.

Axel gave a crooked grin, shaking his head. "Heh… I think you got it memorized too well, Roxas. 'Cause it ain't Axel anymore!"

"Huh? I don't understand…" Roxas frowned, looking at him. "Did you change your name or something?" _I guess that makes sense if he's trying to hide from the Organization now… But wait… that still doesn't answer what he's doing here in the first place._

Axel chuckled in amusement, crossing his arms. "C'mon, buddy! Don't tell me you don't remember my original name!" He waited a few moments, but Roxas just kept looking at him in confusion. "...Notice anything missing from my face, Roxas?"

"Um…" Roxas still stared at him blankly.

Axel sighed, facepalming. "Geez Roxas, you're acting like the first time we met. Look, the tattoos from under my eyes, they're gone! Get it?"

"..." Roxas still didn't get it, he just kept staring at him. "...What's that supposed to mean? You got your tattoos removed?"

The redhead's eye twitched. "Oh for crying out- I'm not a Nobody anymore, Roxas! Sheesh… For getting it memorized, you sure don't remember my original name anymore…"

"... What?" Roxas so smartly replied, all that registered was that Axel just informed him that 'he wasn't a Nobody anymore.'

Axel groaned, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. "Geez, you really _have_ gone into zombie mode again…" He poked Roxas's forehead again, making the blond splutter. "Oi! Anybody in there, buddy?"

Roxas slapped Axel-but-not-Axel's hand away from his face. "Hey! Knock it off! What you're telling me is you're not a Nobody anymore and your name isn't even Axel. How am I _supposed_ to react to that!?"

The redhead chuckled, shrugging. "Well… try to think about it- if I'm back to my past self, what's my name, Roxas? C'mon, you met him a couple days ago, you oughta know this one!"

Roxas blinked as if trying to make sense what's coming out of the pyro's mouth, before he let the words sink in. _Past self? … Does he mean his original self? Wait… that can't be possible!_ "Are you… saying you're 'Lea' again?"

The pyromaniac grinned like he had just won the lottery, giving a thumbs up. "Bingo! Got it memorized now, Roxas?" Then he noticed the blond's still blank look. "...You don't get it, do you?"

"... All I can guess is that you, somehow, regained your heart and now you're claiming you're no longer a Nobody." Roxas said with as much logic as he could- to his knowledge, it was impossible for a Nobody to be their original selves again once they've been turned into a Heartless.

Axel shrugged. "Eh, something like that… Basically, I got destroyed." Roxas froze at that. "And apparently my Heartless was already destroyed too, so-" Suddenly, his shoulders were grabbed as his face was dragged down to meet his best friend's. "Eh?"

"Please tell me you're joking Axel! We just fought like… I don't know, a minute back in the present time? How could you have possibly been destroyed!?" Roxas all but shouted in his friend's face. "And… and what are you even DOING here?"

"..." Axel, or now Lea, blinked owlishly, before he groaned. "Oh boy…" He cautiously detached himself from his friend, rubbing his forehead. _Of COURSE Roxas had to come from right THEN…_ "It's hard to explain, but… I'm from later on in the future than you."

Roxas blinked before he registered what Axel- or rather, LEA, meant by that. "... So… you're from a future from _my_ timeline?" His best friend nodded, and Roxas tried to take that information in. "...Then _how're_ you here!?"

Lea sweatdropped at Roxas still shouting. "Geez, cool down buddy! I'm here for an exam- let me explain it a bit more, and you'll understand!"

"An exam?" Roxas frowned, more questions popping up in his mind. "... Okay, I'm listening."

Lea sighed in relief when his friend said that. "Well… I'm assuming you remember the Mark of Mastery exam, right?" Roxas slowly nodded, unsure as to what this has to do with it. "It's sort of like that- but this is to test and see if I'm even ready for a Keyblade."

"... You're… going to wield a Keyblade too, Ax- I mean Lea?" Roxas asked, the name sounding so foreign to his tongue. "And… you say you're here for the exam? Why would they take you back in time where you could screw something up?"

Lea chuckled, shrugging. "Well… apparently I was already here, adjusting things slightly- so the timeline's still the same no matter what. Besides, the test is to help you get through whatever's happening here and hopefully learn for myself what really happened here."

Something about that struck Roxas odd. "... You were already here? What? But… how… why… How is that a thing?" Roxas shook his head, trying not to get tongue tied here. "I mean how is it possible that the timeline's still the same with you _being_ here when you _don't_ belong in this timeline like I'm not?"

Lea chuckled a bit, shrugging. "Well… I'm not sure how to explain this- but basically, we were _meant_ to be here. Do you know about the solid timeline idea?" Roxas just looked at him blankly. "...Riiiight… Basically, if you go back in time and meet yourself, you would have remembered meeting yourself in the past- got it memorized, Roxas?"

"... But I didn't exist 11 years in the past." was all Roxas said, apparently still not getting it.

Lea facepalmed, groaning. "Oy, you're just as much of a zombie kid as ever… No, you_ didn't_ exist then- but you came back in time, like you did to get here! Get it?"

The younger time traveler sighed, slowly nodding. "I get that, but isn't it dangerous for future time travelers to go back in the past? Why do you say it like we were a part of this… big story plan tragic thing?" Roxas didn't know how else to word it, and he's aware how weird that sounded.

"Well, because we _were_." Lea shrugged, stating it as if it was obvious. "We just weren't remembered too much- I never showed my face, and you looked too similar to Ventus."

Roxas frowned a bit, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "... But… well…" He shook his head, getting a bit of a headache from trying to think it over. "Never mind. Ax- Lea, I would ask you why you were stalking me earlier, but I'm sure you were about to tell me, right?"

Lea chuckled, shrugging. "Well, isn't it obvious? I was seeing what was going on- I _did_ tell you that was half the point of my exam, to see what happened here!"

"But you didn't just _observe _what I was doing! You gave me that black coat earlier back at the mine, and I saw you used a Keyblade to get me out of that prison Maleficent sent me in!" Roxas said with a frown, remembering clearly that Lea had indeed used a Keyblade to free him.

"Ah yes, well you see... that Keyblade was borrowed, it was to see if I could wield one and it turns out I have potential to, and I used it to free you. Of course I got in trouble when I was found out and it was taken away..." Lea said with a sheepish chuckle.

"Yeah, that sounds like you... And you gave me this Wayfinder… Where did you even get it?" Roxas asked, holding out the green Wayfinder.

Lea sighed. _And THIS is why I was advised to not reveal myself… _"Well honestly, I gave you the black coat because you kinda needed help- no offense, Roxas, but you can be _way_ too conspicuous at times." Then he glanced down at the Wayfinder. "As for this thing? Well… I was actually _asked_ to give it to you by the one giving me this exam- to keep the timeline stable, or whatever."

Roxas noticed that Lea didn't seem to want to tell him just _who_ was giving him the exam. Seeing how the situation was the same one he was in, though, the Nobody decided to let it slide. "So you're basically kinda babysitting me again." Though he said this, Lea looked surprised, probably wondering why Roxas just let it slide like that.

"W-wha? Hey, don't make it sound like I didn't save your butt just now!" Apparently not, he was just a bit irritated to call it 'babysitting' anymore… "Geez… Guess I should just let you be caught next time, huh?" He mock huffed, pretending to be angry.

"Hey, don't take it the wrong way, I'm glad you came to help me back there. Xehanort's pretty strong." Roxas said with a small smile before he frowned again. "... And… I wanted to apologize…"

Lea blinked, confused. "Eh? For what?"

"Don't tell me you didn't get it memorized." Roxas sighed. "About how I left and treated you… You know… forgetting about you when I was put in that fake Twilight Town. And I should've been more understanding why you wouldn't tell me anything…"

Lea blinked again, before he glanced away, a slightly pained look on his face. "...L-look, it's… It's not important, really-"

"It's important to me… because… I don't think I'll get the chance to tell you again once this is all over." Roxas said with a bitter tone in his voice, as if knowing what's to become of him when he goes back to his present. "Look, I-I heard what you told Isa back in Radiant Garden… I know why getting your name memorized is so important to you- but when I didn't remember you, it was like telling you that you weren't important enough to me… So I'm sorry."

"..." Lea sighed, leaning down a bit and ruffling Roxas's hair. "Hey… It's alright- I know you didn't mean to forget me, and it wasn't your fault. Besides…" He gave a small grin. "It turned out pretty well, to be honest! Heck… I still consider you my friend, don't I Roxas?"

Roxas looked up to him, before he grinned slightly. "... Your friend or your _best _friend?" he gave a small chuckle. "I suppose I should thank Ven for that… his meeting with you here is probably what helped made the friendship bond we have now." That's when it hit Roxas. "... Wait, Lea, do _you_ know why I look like Ventus?"

The redhead blinked in surprise before he hesitated. "Well… I have a theory, but until I see what happens here…" He shrugged. "I can't say for sure- sorry, Roxas…"

Roxas gave a sigh, glancing down sadly. "I guess I'll never know… Well… if I could have one more wish when I get back to the present… it's to go back to the top of the clock tower and have ice cream again with you… and Xio- … Xi…?" He stopped, frowning in confusion. _Wait… what? Why I do keep saying 'Xi' for?_

"Huh?" Lea blinked a bit, frowning in confusion. "With who? ...Roxas, what're you talking about? It was just thre- …" He paused. _…Why the heck do I remember a third person? I can't make out anything about them… but… They _were_ there, I remember that much…_

Roxas looked at Lea, catching his own slip up. "So it's _not_ just me then… There _was_ another person with us… but why can't we remember who it was?"

Lea frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I-I don't know… I've only had this body back for a day or two before I traveled back in time…" He sighed, glancing back at Roxas. "But… I remember saying something about always being there to bring you both back to them…"

* * *

The younger time traveler sighed before he heard the intruder alert alarm going off and the ship began to tremble. Roxas stood up, groaning in irritation. "Oh come on, _more_ problems?!"

Lea blinked before he chuckled slightly, ruffling Roxas's hair as he pulled his hood back up. "Well, I have to get back to what I was doing before- you stay safe for now, Roxas. I'll talk to you later, okay?" _Maybe while I'm watching him, I can try to figure out what's going on with my memories…_

When Roxas turned to look at him, Lea almost had to laugh, it was like the saddest puppy dog face he had ever seen on his little blond friend. "You're leaving already?"

Lea smirked under his cloak, flicking the young Nobody's nose and making his face wrinkle up. "Hey, cheer up- I said I'd be back later! But frankly, we both know this isn't the time for catching up 100%. Maybe later, alright?"

"But wait! I wanted to know how Axel will be after I find Sora!" Roxas called out, but Lea was already gone into the Dark Corridor. "... Ugh…" The young Nobody groaned in irritation at that before he ran off, trying to find the intruder- it might be an Unversed or maybe even Vanitas himself. _I mean I've already fought with Braig and Xehanort today here, so why NOT Vanitas? _He asked himself sarcastically.

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: Okay guys, first thing's first… you weren't expecting it to be LEA now did you? DID YOU!? And you may notice that Xehanort fights similarly as Xemnas did with Riku and Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts II, this is because we believe that since Xehanort and Xemnas are technically the same person their fighting styles should be similar. And it's possible to get 24 keychains for Roxas in 358/2 Days, hence why he told Aqua he used to have 24 before coming here.**

**Key2DestNE: …. *in a full body cast* ...I am never messing with you again, Fox- even your GLOMPS are dangerous. But yeah, I can tell a lot of you are probably going nuts over it being Lea in the coat! *begins trembling in the body cast* And I was the same way when writing it! I mean, oh my GOSH that was epic! What with the sudden chakram entrance and the oh-so-cool lines, and oh my GOSH, SO EPIC! *KABOOOM!***

**DarkFoxKit: Uh-oh… there goes fanboy again- nothing can stop it once it's out, not even being in a full body cast! *dives under a table* Oh yeah, I forgot to mention about a few things inconsistent with Aqua, the first being that why didn't she just use her Keyblade to open the door in the last chapter… Yo fanboy! Mind taking this one!?**

**Key2DestNE: *is grinning widely through the cast* Hee hee~ Sure! This is the sorta thing that would happen in a cutscene, and you wouldn't see her unlocking a door in THAT kind of situation… not to mention she must have been panicked about being suddenly separated from Roxas like that- so she wasn't thinking straight. Besides, it allowed LEA to show up! SQUEEEE! *falls over due to rocking back and forth so much* ...Uh… Fox? Little help, please?**

**DarkFoxKit: Stop jumping around so much and maybe you wouldn't fall down! *helps Key up* Also, I want to address a plothole here. Aqua knows it was Roxas in that black coat, and she had seen him use the Corridor of Darkness yet she didn't ask him about it. Well this would actually be explained later on, but if you really must know now, she actually thought he was faking it, that he just used some special effects to make it look like he could summon it, that and she's most likely in denial- after all, how could such a sweet boy like Roxas use darkness like that? So yeah, asking him would just confirm it, and she didn't want that.**

**Key2DestNE: Now as for Braig's fight being too similar to the first one… Well, frankly, that's how the GAMES work. Don't forget everyone, we're treating this as how the GAMES would work in this situation, and every time you do a rematch of someone, it's in the same arena- in functionality, if not in aesthetics. You can even notice it if you replay the games or watch a Let's Play- check out any boss battle rematch, including between Braig/Xigbar and the KH characters!**

**DarkFoxKit: The same thing with using Dodge Roll- we're writing the battles as if it was in the game, so yeah, Dodge Roll is pretty important. Now I understand that this is a story writing element and not the actual game, but that's how we're treating it when we type, since if we didn't, we'd probably only do banters and skip the battles, because honestly, without the core game itself, the battles are usually sped up or skipped, have you seen the manga? They do that, a lot, including the final bosses, and I was sure you guys didn't want that.**

**Key2DestNE: Now then, what else, what else…? ...Ah- right, the opening chappie not being necessary. Well, I suppose that's true, and it IS repeated a lot on this site, but imagine if in the Matrix, you just open up with a fight- no explanation, no backstory, just a fight. You never get to know the characters. Besides, this version of Roxas is a bit more sarcastic and bitter than the canon Roxas, so we wanted to show that in the boy's thoughts during these events.**

**DarkFoxKit: It's also a bit necessary too, we didn't want to jump- oh wait, you said that already. Well, it becomes important after Roxas gets back to his original timeline. It's not unnecessary filler, but people see it that way because they've already seen the story itself, but have you thought of the people who DIDN'T see the story yet? I know a few people who didn't and they still enjoyed it because we didn't just jump right on in, we took the time to establish the characters themselves.**

**Key2DestNE: Precisely- we only RECOMMENDED that you play all the games to know the characters, not that it was REQUIRED. Now one last thing about why we did the opening chapter…. Well, it's interesting when you show exactly when things diverge from canon, but it's also interesting when you SHOW it, and that combined with all the other reasons just made the end choice of how we'd start this off made our final decision obvious, at least to us.**

**DarkFoxKit: Now… FlightfootKeyseeker, although this question was answered in the story, I must say that was a really good guess on your part, and it would've been interesting, but too bad it wasn't the case.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, no kidding! … *eyes light up* Ideeeaaaa~ And as for firedragoonknight, those are pretty good questions… But the chapter where Aqua found out about Roxas's Keyblade has already been posted, Chapter 7: Struggles if I remember right.**

**DarkFoxKit: As for Aqua and Roxas's relationship, well… it's most likely like with her relationship with Ventus, she sees him as a younger brother, as someone she has to protect. And the last one, I don't know yet, we don't have a plot for another Roxas fanfic in this current time frame.**

**Key2DestNE: Speak for yourself- I've already got DOZENS of ideas! *trying to write something down… while still in the full body cast* Come on, help me out Fox- my arms can't move!**

**DarkFoxKit: … Um… well anyways, that answers all the current questions, we'll answer the next ones in the next chapter. So until then… I am DarkFoxKit, this is Key2DestNE, and we look forward to hearing from you!**


	14. Chapter 13: Escapade

**Key2DestNE: Hey everybody, welcome to the next chapter of Roxas's Story! *waves***

**DarkFoxKit: Hey, uh… for those of you who had seen our last chapter, mind taking a look at the AN again? Key and I revised it together since it was too lonely with just me.**

**Key2DestNE: Eheheh… Yeah, sorry I wasn't on before everybody- had writer's block. *mutters under his breath* Still do, technically, but DarkFoxKitten wouldn't take no for an answer on this…**

**DarkFoxKit: STOP CALLING ME KITTEN! I WAS SCRATCHED BY A CAT SO SHUT IT! *pushes Key off the cliff* … Don't worry, it's only a prop! Anyways… yeah, check them out, we answered a few more questions with better clarity. But now we're going to talk about THIS chapter here… at the bottom.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, not much to say this time. Still getting over my fanboy hype from the previous chapter, so I guess now we'll see you all at the bottom! *waves* Oh, and we don't own Kingdom Hearts, at ALL. That's Square Enix and Disney, complain to them that this didn't happen- the only thing that's ours are the unique boss fights and how Roxas fits into the BBS storyline!**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Escapade**

Roxas then heard some blasting going on in another room, and suddenly 626 himself busted out of the door! "626!?"

The little blue alien waved at him, grinning happily. "Roxas!" Then he tilted his head to the side, as if gesturing the boy to follow, before he began to scamper forward.

Roxas smiled as he hurried after 626, hoping he'll take him to the intruder. Working with the little alien, he figured it'll be easy to take on whoever it was like this since they took down Gantu together. The two did have to fight a few Unversed along the way, but nothing they couldn't handle, and soon, they stopped near the center of the ship.

"More Unversed!" Roxas pointed out. 626 said something in his alien language, and the two dispatched it at the same time… and landed in front of another familiar boy, surprising both Roxas and the look alike. "Wha!?"

The boy blinked in shock, both of them nearly falling on their butts at the surprising meet-up. "W-what the!? Roxas? What the heck are _you_ doing here?"

"Ventus!? Why the heck are _you_ here!?" Roxas asked in shock at the exact same time Ven did.

626 chuckled, seeming to find this quite amusing, before he said, "Ven? Aq...u… a… Terra… Roxas!"

Ven blinked in surprise, bending down to look at the alien. "Huh? You know Terra and Aqua?" Then he paused, glancing at Roxas. "Well… then again, you were traveling with Roxas- I shouldn't be _that_ surprised."

"Wait, wait, wait… why are you here, Ven?" Roxas asked again, still confused as to why his apparent twin was even here in the first place. _Did he trigger the intruder alert? … Well at least it's Ven and not Vanitas, I had enough of those tough battles for one day._

The young look alike frowned, glancing around. "I… might've accidentally caused a huge Unversed to latch onto this ship- so I'm trying to find it before it does any more damage!"

"You did WHAT!?" Roxas shouted at his face. "Ugh… if it's not one thing it's another!"

Ven huffed, crossing his arms. "Hey, it's not my fault the Unversed snuck onboard before I could destroy it-" The ship suddenly shook, causing all three of them to lose their balance. "W-whoa! ...Ugh, what am I _doing_?! There's no time for this!"

Roxas looked over at Ven who was running, but he said, "Wait, I'll come with you and-"

Ven shook his head, stopping Roxas. "No, Roxas- stay here! This was my fault, I have to do this by myself! Besides, I can't let this little guy get hurt." He smiled a bit, glancing down at 626.

"But-" Roxas didn't get a chance to finish as Ven ran off. "Oh come on!" he grumbled before turning to 626. "We should go after him!"

* * *

626 gave him a nod, determination shining in his eyes. "Ven… friend. Roxas… friend."

Roxas smiled at him before he turned around. "Let's go-"

"Not so fast!" Gantu himself stormed in, holding out his huge plasma gun. "You're not going anywhere but to exile, you little abomination."

Roxas glared as he stood in front of the little blue alien. "What are you doing here, Gantu? Shouldn't you be looking for the intruder?"

The huge alien narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I _was_- however, I happened to look inside 626's jail cell, and noticed he was missing! After that, it was a simple task to locate him since he follows you around like a homeless puppy!" He fired off a single plasma shot, hitting the Experiment and sending him flying backwards. "I don't know how you did it, but you won't get away again."

Roxas ran over to 626, frowning worriedly. "Are you okay?" Then he noticed the little alien's Wayfinder was shattered and it didn't look too happy about it. Roxas frowned at this before he turned back to Gantu. "You didn't have to destroy what was precious to him!"

Gantu scoffed, his plasma gun still pointed at both of them. "Please- the little abomination can bat his eyes at the Grand Council Woman to reconsider her sentence, but I see him for what he _really_ is- a living weapon that's only instinct is to destroy everything it touches! That trinket of it's would have been destroyed anyways."

What Gantu said here brought back memories of Roxas's time in the Organization. How everyone keeps telling him who he is and who he should be, about how Nobodies are just those without hearts and that he should be a machine to get them back. Fighting Heartless, going through worlds, to them he wasn't a child or someone at all, just a tool who has a Keyblade to destroy Heartless and give them what they want. "So that's all he is to you? Nothing but some destructive monster?"

Gantu scoffed, gesturing at 626, who by now looked like he was going to _destroy_ the much larger alien with a single glare! "Just look at him- he's done nothing but growl at me, attack me, and call me insults! Not to mention his genetically programmed instincts are proof that he's nothing but a living _time bomb_."

Roxas looked over at 626, who looked back at him, neither of them said anything to each other, but it was like Roxas knew what the little alien wanted, and he nodded. "I don't think so, you're just scared because you don't understand." Suddenly, Roxas jumped back as 626 curled into a ball and he used his Keyblade to bat the little alien right through Gantu's face, and he bounced through the wall, causing 626 to crash into a window into another part of the ship! "Right behind ya!" He quickly jumped through, landing in what looked like the engine room.

* * *

Ven jumped in surprise, seeing both of his friends land right beside him. "W-wha!? What are you guys doing here? I told you to stay put! You guys could get hurt…" Experiment 626 was still growling, and he shouted out a couple of things in his native language. "...What is it?"

Roxas looked pretty upset himself, as if someone just insulted him. "We'll talk later, Ven." He was pretty surprised at how big this… jellyfish Unversed was, but he didn't really show it. "We just need to blow off some steam!"

Ven blinked slowly, but he didn't have any time to respond, for the jellyfish Unversed suddenly charged all three of them! "Whoa!" He barely jumped out of the way, Roxas and Experiment 626 doing the same before the alien began firing his plasma gun like crazy.

Roxas ran around the room before he managed to jump using the engine and then hacked at the Unversed's head, sending it down into the ground, allowing 626 and Ven to strike at it.

The look-alike began firing off a couple spells, but he got in a bunch of melee attacks in as well before the jellyfish got up off the ground and flew around the area. "Oh come on! This is gonna be a long fight, isn't it!?"

Roxas frowned as it kept flying around before spinning like a twister and lunged at them, he and Ven quickly had to dodge roll out of the way while 626 managed to jump out of the way. The Ven slide at the Unversed with flames around him, using Fire Dash. Roxas ran up at the Unversed, trying to hit it. Ven used Aeroga to create a small tornado around himself and Roxas ended up caught in it, but instead of hurting him, the Nobody rode it around and gave a hard hit at the jellyfish Unversed.

626 growled angrily, firing off a bunch of shots that flew in every direction- thankfully it hit the Unversed most of the time, but a few hit the ship. Ven frowned worriedly, before he suddenly began to glow green. "Whoa! ...Heh- alright!" He grinned, before suddenly dashing forwards at speeds Roxas could barely keep up with! "Command Style: Fever Pitch!"

Roxas's jaw almost dropped at this. _You've got to be kidding me! Even VENTUS knows a Command style? Sheesh, I feel so out of the loop right now… _He grumbled under his breath before firing off a few Blizzagas.

Roxas, despite being used to shocking situations, felt his eye twitch as Ven began to slash and hack away at the Unversed as fast as the eye could see. He tried to not focus on it, however, slashing away at the Unversed from underneath.

"Hey! What's that thing doing to the energy core!?" Roxas shouted when he noticed the jellyfish seems to be attached and sucking the light electricity energy from the engine core.

"It looks like it's trying to absorb the power." Ven said as he landed beside the look alike Nobody.

Roxas didn't like how high it was, making it impossible to reach without some climbing, but at this rate it'll suck the ship dry! Then he heard 626 calling out for him, bouncing up and down. "I have an idea! We can use 626 to take it down!"

Ventus frowned in confusion at that, glancing over at the little alien. "Huh? What do you mean by-" His eyes widened in shock, seeing his double pick up 626 and literally toss him at the Unversed! "Whoa! What the!?"

626 managed to bounce off the jellyfish Unversed and caused it to let go of the energy core, which made it become angry as it began to spin around like a torpedo coming right at them! Roxas and Ven tried to dodge it, but it was too big, too wide and too fast that both of them were hit! Roxas was sent into a wall and grumbled under his breath, "I seem to be hitting the walls lately."

Ven groaned, quickly standing up. "C'mon Roxas, we're almost done with this fight!" The Nobody blinked in surprise, before he noticed that the Unversed _did_ look like it was running out of steam, especially because it was just flying high, and not trying to attack them this time.

Roxas nodded as he ran out after it, following Ven. 626 was firing his plasma gun at the jellyfish Unversed, making it hard for it to get away. Roxas noticed that he and Ven were running at a similar pace with each other, but he didn't take notice for long as the two boys got closer. The Unversed, in its desperation cloaked itself, turning invisible.

"Wah!?" Ven shouted in shock, but Roxas looked around, easily sensing its darkness and negativity.

"Over there!" Roxas shot out three fireballs. "FIRE!" the Unversed gave a noise of pain and anger, the cloak blinking away.

Still not down yet, the jellyfish Unversed tried to shock them as it approached with its… 'arms' out wide and unleashing powerful amount of electricity. 626 managed to jump at it, avoiding the electricity emitting from the bottom and began scratching at it. Ven threw his Keyblade at it, using Strike Raid.

Roxas ran up closer to it before turning to Ven, who nodded to him. "WIND!" he cast Areoaga again, re-creating that mini-tornado. Roxas jumped into it and rode it like before and slashed at the Unversed, effectively destroying it.

* * *

The Key to Destiny sighed in relief as he landed. _At least the battle wasn't nearly as long or bad as the previous ones. Compared to Braig, Vanitas, Xehanort, heck even Gantu, that Unversed wasn't so bad!_ But when Roxas was reminded of Gantu, anger came back to his being. Gantu had caused nothing but trouble since he first arrived on this ship, and he accused 626 of being nothing but a monster, yet he laughs when he destroyed what was precious to his little blue alien friend, so who was the_ real _monster here? In his anger, Roxas was also reminded of when he discovered that his life in the virtual Twilight Town was all a fake and he was captured there. Still furious, Roxas ended up throwing his Keyblade at the energy core, causing a lot of sparks.

626 was also yelling and screaming at the air, clearly still furious. Ven sighed, facepalming. "Hey, it's over! Cut it out!" He gently put a hand on the alien's back, but in his fury, 626 threw him to the ground! "Whoa! Geez… What's gotten into you two?"

Roxas and 626 panted a bit before both of them calmed down, sighing. It was kinda weird how the two of them both were angry about the similar things. 626 slowly turned and showed Ven his broken Wayfinder, and Roxas turned giving a sad look of his own. "Gantu broke 626's Wayfinder and called him a monster. He also… brought back some painful memories for me. I guess 626 also felt my own rage and acted out."

Ven frowned worriedly, before he chuckled slightly. "Hey… don't worry, 626- friendship's more than an object." He glanced up at Roxas, patting the look alike's shoulder. "And Roxas… the past is in the past- it may hurt, but… well, you gotta get past it- I don't know what memories you recalled, but you've just gotta make good ones first."

The Nobody gave a blush, he felt rather embarrassed at his outburst of rage, especially in front of Ventus. He thought he was able to control himself better than that, especially since he supposedly doesn't have a heart to really _feel_ anger, but then again, maybe the Organization was like Gantu and convinced themselves they are what they are and that was it, and now he's starting to realize why Braig called him a loose cannon before. "I'm… sorry Ven, I didn't mean to explode like that." He bent down to 626 and pat his head. "And thank you 626- for an alien experiment who can't even speak my language, you sure seem to understand me more than most people do."

"Hmph. Don't let the mimic fool you." Roxas and 626 froze before they both glared, turning around and glaring at Captain Gantu. "You saw for yourself what kind of _monster_ that thing is, all it knows how to do is hurt and destroy!"

"No, you're wrong!" Roxas said in defiance. "626 could be so much more than that, but you have to give him a chance!"

The little blue alien nodded, still glaring at Gantu. "Ven, Roxas! Frien!"

Ven smiled a bit, nodding determinedly. "That's right- we _are_ friends! And that's proof of just how somebody can change if given the chance!"

Roxas smiled at Ven before nodding. "That's right… friends can help you change for the better."

Gantu only glared, scoffing. "Oh please, _nobody_ wants to be that monstrosity's friend!"

"Well you're wrong, because he's _our_ friend!" Roxas snapped.

"Hmph." Gantu smirked, pointing his plasma gun at 626 once more. "Better say your goodbyes now then, because 626 is about to be _destroyed_!" Before he could fire, the little alien launched himself at Gantu's face and pushed him over.

"Come on Ven!" Roxas suddenly shouted, grabbing his twin's arm and dragging him as he ran after 626 who got off of Gantu and ran ahead. "You don't want to fight that guy, he hits like a truck!"

"Oof! HEY! Sound the alert! Prisoners on the loose! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" Gantu's cries could be heard even as the three of them escaped through the ship's corridors.

Roxas gasped when he saw more soldiers coming their way. "No, I absolutely refuse to go through this _again_!" he looked around quickly and saw a ventilation hole. "626, you go through here, Ven and I will meet you outside of this ship!"

626 nodded, not hesitating as he trusted them before he hurried into the ventilation system. Roxas turned to Ven, "Come on, summon your Keyblade Glider and let's ride out of here!" _I do think NOW is the time for me to leave._

The Keyblade Wielder chuckled in amusement, summoning Wayward Wind and tossing it into the air. "You got it, Roxas!" He quickly summoned his armor, jumping on the Keyblade Glider. "Hop on!"

* * *

Roxas didn't hesitate as he jumped on the Glider and held onto Ven to allow the armor to get on him. They managed to fly out of the ship just before the soldiers caught up to them, and at the same time, a red spaceship came flying out. 626 was riding the red spaceship and flew beside them, having the time of his life!

"YEEHA!" The little blue alien laughed loudly, honking on the horn and playing the first few notes to 'La Cucaracha'. Then he waved at Roxas and Ven, grinning happily.

"Where are we going?" Ven asked, frowning in confusion.

"Somewhere far away from here!" Roxas said to him.

Suddenly they were being shot at, they turned to see they were being chased by dozens of blue spaceships similar to the red one 626 was driving. 626 snapped at them in irritation as he began maneuvering the ship to avoid the plasma shots, this had Roxas hanging onto Ven as they too had to dodge.

Beginning to panic a bit, 626 quickly broke what looked like a handle and yanked it out, revealing a huge rod connected to the back of it. **"Hyperdrive has been activated. System charging."** All three of them blinked, confused. **"Warning. Guidance is not functional. Navigation failure. Do not engage hyperdrive. Repeat. Do not engage-"** Panicking more, 626 quickly shoved the handle back in, and he gulped worriedly.

The ships around them seemed to know the danger, however. "Break formation! Get clear of that ship!" And with that, they quickly scattered away.

626 quickly leaned on the glass and tried to tell the two boys something in his alien language. "What is it? What's going on?" Ven asked, not getting it.

Roxas, however, seemed to understand that 626 wanted them to get away. "Ven, I think we should get away!"

"What? Why?" Ven asked, glancing back at his look alike in confusion.

It was too late, however- the ship had already activated the hyperdrive and sent out the shockwaves! "VEN! ROXAS!" 626 shouted as his spaceship disappeared into hyperspace.

Ven and Roxas were caught in the shockwaves, sending them both off the Keyblade Glider. Roxas, not wanting to get caught out here without any protection, grabbed Ven's hand and held on as tight as he could as they began falling. The Nobody quickly summoned a Dark Corridor around them, Ven didn't notice thankfully, but it kept them from floating out into the Realms of Between. Once again, it felt like Roxas was floating, only this time Ventus was here with him, and then the gravity became heavier and heavier. Roxas accidentally let go of Ven's hand and the armor came off him as he fell away from Ven's direction.

Roxas gritted his teeth, feeling darkness begin to cover his vision. _N-no… can't… lose consciousness… yet…! _He flailed blindly in the darkness, before he suddenly found a location. _T-there… gotta… get us there… somehow…!_

The Nobody fought to stay conscious as they fell into the world. Ven had fallen in a completely different direction while Roxas fell somewhere else. The time traveler soon fell into some trees, getting all the leaves and branches caught in his shirt and hair, snapping the branches. Finally, he landed on the ground with a small crater forming around him. "GAH!" Roxas cried out in pain, feeling his body betraying him as it shut down right before he fell unconscious.

* * *

…_Oh… I'm here again… I've been arriving in this location a lot lately, huh? That… probably isn't a good sign…_

"_Roxas…"_

_Oh… it's you. Did you know about Lea? Is that why you told me to stay until it was time for me to go? Did you… know all _that_ was going to happen in that spaceship?_

"_I… didn't know about… Lea… but I knew… what was going to happen… when Aqua left…"_

_But… you made it sound like you knew it was going to happen… wait… you knew what happened when Aqua left? What do you mean by that?_

"_Roxas… you had… to meet Ventus there… After all… I…"_

_Wait, that doesn't make any sense… why did I need to meet Ven there?_

"_...I… remember…"_

… _Who are you? You never told me your name, but… I'm starting to figure out that maybe you're someone I also know very well, just like that person in the cloak turned out to be Axel, even though he calls himself Lea._

_I was walking… The strange dream was becoming more and more solid, in fact, I can see the ground, which was sand, and I can make out the sky and the blurry trees in the distant. It was almost as if I was walking closer to the voice who was talking to me and the closer I got, the more solid the dream became and the clearer the voice was._

"_...You do… know me… but you didn't… before coming here…"_

_I stopped near what appeared to be a cottage house. "... Is it because you're supposed to be someone of this timeline?" I blinked… My voice, I can actually talk now._

"_Yes… you… met me eleven years before… you 'existed'..."_

_I opened the door to the cottage, and there was a person in there. It was too blurry to make out, but I could see blond and white, brown and black. "... You… are you…?"_

* * *

"Roxas… Roxas… Roxas, wake up!"

Roxas jolted up, causing the person who was trying to wake him up to flinch back in shock. "Wah!?"

"Why are we stopping for this little brat?" a sailor's accent voice spoke up in what sounded like irritation.

A familiar voice responded, and he didn't sound pleased. "Maybe he's a brat to you… but I _know_ this boy- I'm not sure how he got here, but I'm still going to try to keep him safe!" Roxas blinked slowly, turning around to see Terra! "You okay, Roxas?"

The boy didn't answer at first, as if confused whether this was real or not, before he blinked a few times and groaned in pain as he felt the aftermaths of falling from the sky, hitting the trees and landing on the ground, HARD. "Ow…" he shook his head before blinking as if trying to get rid of the blurriness. "Terra?"

The brown haired man sighed in relief, patting Roxas's shoulder. "Good… you're alright-" Roxas grunted in pain and almost fell back down, and Terra's eyes widened. "...Or maybe not…." He dug around in his pockets before pulling out a Hi Potion. "Here- take this. It should heal most of your wounds."

"Thanks…" Roxas said gratefully as he took the bottle. "Ugh… what happened?" he moaned as if he didn't remember what happened before he fell from the sky and the harsh landing.

Terra shrugged, frowning a bit. "I was going to ask you the same question… Captain Hook here and I heard what sounded like something big falling on the trees not far off from where we were- and when we arrive at the location, we find you here. What happened?"

"The little brat probably fell on his head and lost his memories." another man in red said as he seem to fiddle with his mustache with his… hook hand?

Roxas shook his head as he thought about it… 626… Gantu… finding Ven… fighting Unversed… Hyperdrive… shockwave… falling… separated from Ven… falling into the trees... the dream… The Nobody remembered it all, but apparently Terra didn't know that as he put a gentle hand on his back, making Roxas look at him in confusion.

The brown haired man gave a soft smile, and even though Roxas could tell he was still a bit concerned for Roxas, there was also a bit of warmth in his eyes. "Hey… You don't have to remember it right away- for now, let's get you someplace a bit safer. Perhaps you can help me with something I'm trying to help Captain Hook with while you recover."

"Captain… Hook?" Roxas questioned before getting a small memory relapse of Sora fighting with Captain Hook, causing him with a minor headache. "Gah!"

Terra frowned worriedly, quickly catching Roxas as the boy fell forward, clutching his head. "R-Roxas, don't push yourself- just try to relax for now…" _Why did mentioning Captain Hook cause another headache for him?_

"So this scurvy little boy is a friend of yours? What, is he your little brother or something?" Captain Hook asked in annoyance.

"M-maybe, Captain." a shorter and more pudgy man said from beside him. "I mean, they look like they care for each other a lot."

Terra chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "No, we aren't brothers- but we're close friends, of course I would be worried about him."

Roxas gave a small smile before speaking up. "It's okay Terra… I can walk on my own… I just had a nasty fall."

Terra blinked at that, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You had a 'nasty fall' that caused a small crater in the ground? Frankly, Roxas, where did you fall _from_ to get that kind of damage?"

"Hyperdrive… don't _ever_ get too close when something goes into freaking hyperdrive." Roxas said with his left eye twitching a bit.

Terra blinked at that, feeling lost, but Captain Hook started to grumble. "Are you going to defend the chest or not, young man!? Ye seem to be interested in keeping the light safe!"

"Don't worry, I will, I just want to make sure Roxas is okay, he can help defend the light." Terra said to him, getting annoyed with the man's impatience.

Roxas blinked, confused. "What's this about a chest and the light?" _Wait… Captain Hook… I remember fighting him in Neverland! … He doesn't look any different now than he does in the future… Why would he defend light?_

Terra frowned, pointing behind him. "Back there is a chest- Captain Hook was about to move it to Skull Rock, but apparently it's full of the light in this world, and a boy named Peter Pan keeps attempting to steal it."

The young Nobody frowned at that. _Full of the world's light? That doesn't make any sense, you can't contain light, not in a wooden box anyway. And someone like Captain Hook wouldn't protect the light, he might either steal and sell it for profit or destroy it himself. I can sense the darkness of greed in him… Not to mention a place called 'Skull Rock' should be a red flag._

Terra didn't notice Roxas's frown, though, glancing at Captain Hook. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be moving the chest by now? I don't think it's safe if he knows where it is."

"That's why I have you as my bodyguard, it's your job to keep it safe." Captain Hook said as if it was fact.

Roxas stood up and watched as Terra walked over to the chest. The smaller pirate was lifting it up. "Be careful with that Smee!" Hook shouted at him. "If you break it, I'll gut you like the codfish you are!"

"Y-yes Cap'n! Understood, Cap'n!" Smee saluted, but doing so nearly made him drop the chest. "O-oops! Sorry, cap'n…"

Terra turned to Roxas and said, still frowning a bit worriedly, "Are you sure you okay? You had some pretty bad scars earlier."

"I'm fine… I've survived worse." Roxas assured him as he was able to walk without cringing so much anymore. "But… are you sure we can believe him?"

Terra nodded, determination in his eyes. "I don't have any reason to distrust him, Roxas- besides, he needed my help defending the chest when I first met him, even if he wasn't willing to admit it at the time."

"... But he's a _pirate_… don't you think it'd make sense if the chest was actually just treasure and he wants you to protect it because- OW!" Roxas felt something hit his head from behind. He grumbled, glancing around in irritation. _Who just did that?_

Terra blinked, noticing Roxas rubbing his head. "...Are you sure you're alright, Roxas? You look like you're still aching a bit…"

"No, I just felt something- OW!" Roxas yelped, feeling it get hit again. _Seriously, WHAT THE HECK!?_

Terra frowned, looking at Roxas in concern. "...You're positive you're completely fine now, Roxas?" _He might still be feeling pain from falling so hard…_

Roxas grumbled, knowing Captain Hook must be hitting him if he spoke out of line. "I'm fine, just getting some HEADACHES from bringing up stuff."

Terra frowned worriedly. _Frankly, that doesn't sound good… _"Well, let's get to Skull Rock, and you can rest while I protect the chest there, Roxas."

Roxas sighed, shaking his head in reassignment. "Fine, fine." _I'm keeping an eye on Captain Hook, he's clearly just using Terra._

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: Nice, huh? Went from Deep Space and fell down all the way into Neverland. One never just FELL to Neverland, they usually have to fly there, but Roxas is always doing things the unique way doesn't he? And we've come to a full circle, he's back with Terra again.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, not bad. Did anybody else enjoy Captain Hook's way of keeping Roxas silent? *chuckles* We couldn't resist putting in how the codfish deals with a Nobody!**

**DarkFoxKit: And before you ask 'why didn't Roxas just attack Captain Hook', it's because he knows when not to just fight back, plus, his memory of Pence did help him prepare for time travel as he stated in the previous chapter. 626 is perhaps the closest to Roxas since Roxas spent the most time with the little blue alien compared to the other three, so those two can understand each other more easily than Ven could with 626.**

**Key2DestNE: Yeah, especially since Ven didn't particularly lose anything meaningful to him… Roxas and 626 BOTH did, so they know how painful it feels. Hmm… let's move onto reviews now, shall we? First off, some of you are wondering how we're going to top last chapter. Well… to be frank, we're not- at least, not until the ending. C'mon, do you guys really think we'd be going on a constant uphill scale from here? Even in the games themselves, there's a bit of time for you to cool down from one exciting climax before tossing the next one at you!**

**DarkFoxKit: Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, by far our most loyal reviewer who has reviewed just about every chapter. Always a delight to see your review! And yes, it was quite a shock wasn't it? Nobody was expecting Lea to be here, eh?**

**Key2DestNE: Heh- of course they didn't, but you can sort of see his way of speaking when you look back at the mysterious figure's words. You know, in case you want to go back and see for yourself!**

**DarkFoxKit: And as for Xion, she'll become an important motivation for Roxas, especially near the end. If only this actually did happen in the game, that'd be interesting.**

**Key2DestNE: Now some of you are also coming up with theories as to why Lea is taking the same exam as Sora and Riku. Well… go ahead and say them, and any other theories you all come up with! They may or may not be right, but it'd still be interesting to see what you all come up with.**

**DarkFoxKit: Fantasysword92375, you're thinking we'll have Roxas learn a Command Style? Heh… hee, hee, hee… I won't directly answer that, but get a good look at Roxas as a boss in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, see if there's anything that could be used as a Command Style there- that's all I have to say to that.**

**Key2DestNE: Now onto the next review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, DukeScarlet, and we may or may not have had a Namine pairing in here. THAT… is up to you~ *winks mysteriously* Seriously though, we never mention Namine in this story, so you can think what you want of her and how Roxas feels towards her.**

**DarkFoxKit: And we answered that 'Aqua forgetting Roxas using the Corridor of Darkness' question in our last and revised AN, so be sure to check that out if you haven't already.**

**Key2DestNE: One last- …. *he has an empty review box* ...Huh. I guess we covered all the reviews that didn't say "Oh, great job" or "Time travel is a headache!", huh?**

**DarkFoxKit: Yeah, looks like. Time travel does tend to give people a headache, but we explained the best we could- if you still didn't get it, try to PM us and we'll do what we can to help explain it better to you. But until then, I'm DarkFoxKit, he's Key2DestNE and we look forward to hearing from you!**


	15. Chapter 14: Bonding Through D-Links

**DarkFoxKit: Hmmm~ Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm? Oh! The camera's already rolling? Why didn't you tell me!? *blushes as she quickly puts her 3DS away***

**Key2DestNE: *chuckles* Simple- because you were playing Luigi's Mansion again. Besides, I DID tell you the camera was about to roll~**

**DarkFoxKit: No you didn't! And I was playing Mario and Luigi Dream Team! *growls* But anyway! You-**

**Key2DestNE: Abup-bup-bup! *puts a finger to her lips* We have to do Roxas's AN first, or you'll have a very angry Nobody on your hands~**

**DarkFoxKit: *crosses arms, growling* Fine! This is the continuation of Neverland with Terra for Roxas, and we put in an… _interesting_ boss battle for Roxas here.**

**Key2DestNE: Hee hee~ Oh yes, yes we did… *chuckles, sitting back* We never fight this guy after all, most likely due to the mechanics being too difficult to implement in-game.**

**DarkFoxKit: But regardless, we think it was an interesting battle. But before we spoil anything else, we'll let you guys read and answer the questions at the bottom! Key, the disclaimer please.**

**Key2DestNE: Yes ma'am! *salutes* We don't own anything written below- only the occasional boss battle and lines that go off-script. K? K! Sounds good!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Bonding Through D-Links**

There were some Unversed along the way, which Terra and Roxas managed to destroy without too much trouble. Roxas became curious though… "Terra… I saw Aqua and Ven using something called the Command Style… can you use one too?"

Terra blinked at that, surprised, before nodding. "Well… of course- we actually each received one from fighting the light orbs back at the Mark of Mastery. Do you remember us doing that?"

"Yeah, I did. I didn't join in because at the time I didn't want you guys knowing I could fight, obviously." Roxas said. "But I never saw you guys using those until just recently, it looked pretty powerful and advanced."

The older man nodded, chuckling slightly. "I suppose… then again, I personally was having trouble learning how to use it until recently- I don't know about the others, but activating a specific Command Style is difficult to do."

"Could I see what yours is?" Roxas asked, looking like a little kid asking his parents to get him a pet for Christmas. Because they were still walking, Captain Hook just ignored them.

Terra raised an eyebrow before chuckling faintly. "Well… I suppose I can activate it when we fight Unversed next time- but to be honest, my favorite Command Style is rather ironic if you know my name's origins."

"Really? Why? Does it have something to do with water?" Roxas asked curious. "Or maybe wind? Perhaps fire even?"

The older Keyblade Wielder just gave a small grin before some Unversed popped up around them. Captain Hook quickly pulled out his sword, staying at the rear of the group near the chest. "Well… I suppose you'll have your answer sooner than you thought, eh Roxas?" Terra chuckled, beginning to grow a familiar bright brown. "Command Style: Rock Breaker!"

Roxas's eyes widened when he heard that name, horrible flashbacks of Xehanort using that very move on him and how he was so easily defeated by it. However, Terra didn't seem to notice as he shot out a huge pillar of rock at the Unversed, causing Roxas to see flashes of Xehanort on Terra. The Nobody quickly shook his head and rubbed his forehead. _No, no, it's just a coincidence, don't think about it._

Terra paused when he finished off the last Unversed with his Command Style, noticing Roxas looked upset. "...Roxas? Are you okay?" He frowned, growing concerned once more.

Roxas shook his head and tried to give a smile, not wanting to worry Terra. "N-nothing, it's nothing! It's just… I had some bad experience with… big rocks."

The brown-haired man frowned worriedly, but Roxas just kept smiling. "...If you're positive, Roxas…" He sighed, reluctantly dropping the subject. _I wonder what happened while I was away from Roxas- he's acting odd._

Roxas quickly faced away from him, not wanting Terra to read his face or his eyes. _Why? _Why _did it have to be Rock Breaker?_

"Come on, come on, don't slow us down!" Hook snapped while he and Smee continued to carry their precious chest.

Terra looked over at Roxas again, who looked a little uneasy. "... So Roxas, can you do a Command Style?"

Roxas looked up at him and shook his head slowly. "No… I didn't even _know_ about them until recently."

"Hmm…" That got Terra thinking. _For someone who can wield dual wield Keyblades, he sure doesn't seem to know how to use them to their full potential… I would've thought his Master would at least teach him the Shotlocks or Command Style if not how to summon the Keyblade Glider… I wonder if he knows about D-Links yet? _"Roxas, what about D-Links? Surely you know how to forge those, right?"

This received a blank Roxas, who just looked at him cluelessly… something Terra isn't quite used to seeing, though he had seen Roxas like that before when they talked about not hiding his abilities from his friends, the boy usually knows what he's doing. "D- what now?"

The older man blinked, half-surprised to learn Roxas didn't know about D-Links either. "...D-Links. You haven't heard of them?" Roxas frowned in confusion, slowly shaking his head. "Essentially you can borrow the energy of someone you have bonded with in some way with a certain spell- for example, I have Aqua and Ven's D-Links."

"... You can do that?" Roxas asked, tilting his head in confusion. _There was never any mention about this D-Link before, not even in Sora's memories._

Terra nodded, giving a faint smile. "Yeah, they're usually quite pleasant- although you have to make a small effort to make one as a Keyblade Wielder, it isn't too difficult. You mainly just have to know how to make one." Then he held out a hand. "Would you like to try it with me?"

Roxas looked at his hand curiously, frowning in confusion. "Forming a D-Link…. with someone you've bonded with? … Have we bonded, Terra?"

Terra chuckled at the question, shrugging. "Well… I've made a bond with you- but it isn't the other way around yet. I thought you had, but I suppose not… especially if you don't know the spell for-"

"No, it's not that…" Roxas spoke up, surprising Terra a little bit. "It's not that I don't see you as a friend, Terra, it's just… how do I know if I really bonded with someone?"_ Especially since I don't supposedly have any heart TO bond with?_

Terra blinked slowly, surprised by the question. _…He doesn't know if he's bonded with someone or not…? …Hmm… _He frowned in thought, crossing his arms. "Well… if you touch someone, and you feel a… I suppose you would call it a 'spark', that's the most common way to tell. But… well… sometimes it varies from different people or species, but you'll know it's there when you feel a connection. You can try it if you want, to see if we've bonded." He held out his hand a second time, shrugging.

* * *

Roxas looked a bit hesitant, getting a brief flashback of Riku doing the same before, but then the Nobody nodded, deciding to go for it. Captain Hook and Smee hadn't noticed they had stopped and were behind them as they kept going. Roxas reached out his hand to touch Terra's, but before they could come in contact… "SMEEEEEE! THAT BLASTED CROCODILE THAT TOOK ME HAND IS BAAAACK!"

Terra and Roxas both blinked in surprise, turning to see the hook-wearing man hastily backing up from a bright green crocodile! Roxas's jaw dropped, recognizing the beast almost instantly. _That thing was alive for 11 years!?_

The pirate was screaming like a scared girl while Smee was trying to help calm him down. "It's okay Captin! H-he can't r-reach you u-up here!"

"TERRA! GET RID OF THAT MONSTER!" Hook shouted frantically.

Roxas couldn't help but cover his mouth to muffle his laughter, this was always so funny to watch.

Terra blinked in surprise, but he shrugged, walking over to the crocodile. "Go on, get out of here!" The crocodile seemingly scoffed, but he pointed his Keyblade at it. "You're cold-blooded, right? So if I make the water you're in freezing cold..."

The crocodile looked at Terra as if daring him to do that. Roxas kept trying to keep himself from laughing. _My side's killing me!_

Terra smirked a bit at the unspoken challenge. "Alright, if you insist… Freeze!" He fired off a small orb of light blue light, and when it hit the water the crocodile was in, it froze instantly, making the large reptile begin to chatter from the cold! "You were saying?"

The crocodile made a snapping sound as if annoyed before it turned around and swam away, diving under water. As soon as the crocodile was gone, Captain Hook managed to calm down. "You did good Terra… Now let's just get the booty to the Skull Island. Smee! Help me get the chest onto that boat!"

Terra sighed, shaking his head in slight amusement before glancing back at Roxas, who was practically rolling around on the ground trying to keep his laughter down to a decent level. _I suppose I'm not the only one who finds it ironic how terrified the Captain is of that crocodile… It's just a reptile, after all!_

"You know Roxas, it's not nice to laugh at people." Terra said to the laughing boy, though he said it in a light hearted tone.

Roxas had to calm himself down before he could speak up. "S-sorry, it's just… I can't believe the captain of pirates is scared of one crocodile!"

"Shut up and either get on the boat or be left behind!" Hook shouted at them angrily, trying to hide his embarrassment.

The blond haired boy chuckled a bit more, but he quickly joined Terra on the small dingy as Smee began to row as hard as he could towards a skull-shaped rock in the distance.

* * *

Roxas couldn't help but make conversation with Smee, leaning against the treasure chest. "So do you like working with Captain Hook? I mean you don't seem like such a… 'pirate' kind of guy, and he seems to just treat you badly. Why do you still hang out with him?" The Nobody wanted to talk to Terra, and maybe ask him about that D-Link again, but Terra was busy looking out for any potential danger.

Smee grinned happily, shaking his head. "Oh no, I don't mind at all! The captain's just feeling a little… moody right now, that's all." He continued to row as he spoke, the skull-shaped rock growing closer and closer. "Why, I wouldn't be his first mate if he didn't think of me highly!"

"... You're his first mate?" _I guess that would explain why Captain Hook always has Smee around. Maybe they're like best of friends but having a different kind of bond._ Roxas thought to himself. _Speaking of bonds… I wonder if Terra forgot about that D-Link? I wonder how it works…_

Smee nodded, still brightly grinning. "Of course! The cap'n is always trusting me with the most important duties, including keeping the other crewmates from getting too rowdy most days!"

Roxas blinked at that. "Wait… 'Other crewmates'? Captain Hook actually has an entire _crew_?" _When I saw him 11 years later, he didn't have a crew- he had Heartless issues, but not a whole _crew_ of other pirates!_

"Yes, of course he does!" Smee said as if it was fact. "I actually had to calm them down this morning!"

"Huh… I just find it odd that I only see the two of you." Roxas said as they stopped on Skull Island.

The first mate shrugged, giving a slight frown. "They all decided to go after the Indian tribes today- Cap'n Hook let them so they wouldn't try a mutiny, so it's just him and I." Then he turned, beginning to lift the chest. "Now one moment!"

Terra watched as Captain Hook and Smee took the treasure chest into the cave before he turned to Roxas, who was looking around the island like a curious child. _I think I saw this place before while I was fighting The Ruler of the Skies Heartless, but I don't think I really got a good chance to explore it._

Terra chuckled slightly, looking at how innocent Roxas looked at that moment. _Heh… he really does act like Ven a lot, doesn't he…? _He smiled softly, before flicking Roxas's forehead to get his attention. "Hey, Roxas."

"Ow, hey! What was that for?" Roxas pouted. _Terra acts like Axel sometimes, sheesh…_ "Hey! Stop laughing, that wasn't funny!"

The brown-haired man continued to chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, Roxas, you still wanted to make that D-Link, am I right?"

Roxas blinked before nodding, "Yeah, I'm kind of curious about it now."

"Hey! This is no time for you boys to get lazy! Get in here!" Hook yelled at them.

"... I guess it'll have to wait." Roxas said, rolling his blue eyes. _Ugh… Why is that pirate so _annoying_ at times!? Seriously!_

* * *

As soon as they were inside, Captain Hook crossed his arms while making sure to not get cut from his own hook. "Well done, Terra. You're quite the powerful man- and just who I want for this job!"

Terra nodded firmly. "Thank you- I'll go see if Peter Pan's in the area. C'mon, Roxas." With that, he began to walk away, Roxas trailing after him.

"Capt'n!" Smee suddenly said, catching both Hook's and Roxas's attention, although only for a moment for the pirate. "There was a shooting star that landed near the Indian Island. It had such a strange pattern- do you want to go look for it? It could be treasure!"

This got Hook's attention real quick, "Interesting… Terra! I have a new job for you! I want you to keep this treas- I mean light safe from anyone, _especially_ Peter Pan. I'll be back for it as soon as I check out that star, understood? Guard it with your life!"

"Oh, and what am I, chopped liver?" Roxas grumble, crossing his arms in irritation- he was extremely annoyed the man never addressed him, especially considering how powerful he was. _Seriously, I think he'd at least _try_ to be nice! Is it because I'm a 'kid' to him?_

Terra smirked slightly, ruffling Roxas's hair. "Hey, you can keep watch with me- for now, let's just let the captain do his business." Then he looked up at Captain Hook, straightening. "I understand- when Peter Pan gets here, I'll be waiting." That seemed to satisfy the captain, for he turned and began to walk away.

Now that they were alone, Roxas wanted to try that D-Link once more, and he turned to his friend. "Okay, so while we're waiting, why don't we-" he stopped when he thought he saw something move above them. _What the? What the heck is up there?_

Terra didn't notice at first, and he raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why don't we what?" Then he noticed a boy in green tights flying above them, and he frowned, quickly summoning a new Keyblade- one that looked like something from the desert! "Are you Peter Pan!?"

The boy in green floated lower and held out a… dagger. "Why yes I am, are you Hook's newest lackey?"

"You can't have this light, it doesn't belong to you!" Terra claimed with determination, getting into his new battle stance.

Roxas didn't draw his Keyblade, Terra frowned in confusion at this, but the Nobody didn't look like he wanted to fight this boy. _Peter Pan… he looks just the same as before… or is it in the future? …Whatever- it's hard to believe he's 'evil', as the pirate said…_

Peter Pan blinked at that, confused. "Huh? What's with your buddy there?" He gestured to Roxas, still holding his dagger in one hand. "Ain't he gonna fight me too?"

"Roxas, what are you doing?" Terra asked, frowning in confusion.

"..." Roxas turned to the chest before he suddenly kicked it, causing it to fall and open, dumping out gold doubloons and gems. "Huh- they're bright and sparkly, but I don't think this is light, Terra. I_ knew_ Captain Hook was lying."

Terra's eyes widened in shock, seeing the treasure all over the ground. "W-wha!? No way…" _He lied to me!? I-I can't believe it…_ he groaned, resisting the urge to kick himself. _And the worst part is, I _fell_ for it!_

Peter Pan blinked a bit, growing confused. "Eh? You guys didn't know it was filled with treasure?" He chuckled a bit, quickly sheathing his dagger. "What kinda blockhead would fall for the old _codfish's_ tricks?"

"You know, there's a time and place for everything, but now isn't the time." Roxas said to the boy in green, crossing his arms. "Why are you here? You don't look the type to be interested in treasure." Then he saw two smaller boys, one dressed in a fox costume and the other, a much chubbier boy, dressed in a bear's costume.

"Hey Peter! We got the treasure!" the fox costume-wearing boy cheered. "We didn't even have to fight Hook's nasty old pirates to get it, too! Today's _awesome_!"

Peter Pan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, we usually do it as a game- we steal the treasure, then Hook steals the treasure back, then we steal it back, yadda yadda." Then he grinned. "But this time, we're gonna hide the treasure somewhere else, away from the chest- that'll drive the old codfish _mad_ trying to find it!" Then a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "Say, speaking of Hook… which way did he go?"

Terra frowned a bit. "Well… he said something about a shooting star, but I wasn't really listening." Then he sighed. "And… I owe you an apology. I was picking a fight when I shoul-"

"It's no big deal, but you look pretty strong." Peter said, looking at Terra thoughtfully.

Roxas spoke up, frowning a bit. "Actually Terra, the only reason why I knew it was trick was because I… saw that pirate Hook before." he hesitantly said. _What am I doing? I shouldn't be telling him this! He would've been happy with learning that he was tricked!_

Peter Pan blinked, looking the blond boy in front of him over. "...Really? Guess I don't know _everything_ that old codfish has done… Huh- come to think of it, you look just like Ven…" Then Terra's words sunk in. "Wait… he's going after the shooting star!? Tinker Bell must be in danger!" He quickly turned around, beginning to fly into the air. "Men, guard that treasure with your lives!"

Terra gasped, holding up a hand in vain. "W-wait! What did you mean, he looked like-" It was too late, though- Peter had already gone through one of the eye sockets in the 'skull'.

_Ven? Oh right, Ven landed in this world too when we fell... at least he's alive and doing okay, that's a good sign._ Roxas thought to himself as he remembered _how_ he and Ventus entered this world.

* * *

"Come on, we better get this treasure out of here!" The boy in the fox suit said as he and the boy in the bear suit began picking up the treasure to put back in the box.

Roxas suddenly summoned his Kingdom Key to his hand, glancing around."Terra, Unversed are here!"

"What? I don't see any-" As soon as Terra said that, however, a horde of jellyfish Unversed appeared all over the cave! _Wha? How did Roxas know they were here before we saw them?_

"You kids better take cover! Terra and I will handle these guys!" Roxas said to the two Lost Boys.

The two nodded frantically, dashing out of the huge rock as quickly as possible. Terra frowned a bit, still confused, but he decided to ignore it as he held up his new Keyblade defensively. "Roxas, which side do you want to take- the left or the right?"

"Heh… I'll take the left." Roxas said, chuckling a bit, remembering Axel would usually say the same if they ever fought a horde of Heartless. _Terra really does seem a lot like Axel, come to think of it._

Terra nodded, and with that, the two charged in, slashing and hacking away at each of the shockingly weak Unversed. Terra grunted in pain once or twice, but most of the time he would just smack it away, dispersing a decent chunk of the jellyfish monsters. _Ugh… these things may be easy to take down, but there's a _lot_ of them!_

"WIND!" Roxas created a tornado around him to dispatch the Unversed around him. Then the Nobody jumped and did a somersault in the air to cut through the enemies in the air, there were a lot of them. Roxas decided to try and pierce through them as it usually helps with the horde of Heartless before… The Nobody got his Keyblade to glow a bit, it's not his Limit attack but it does help make his Keyblade stronger, and he dived at each of the Unversed, almost like using Sonic Blade. "Well, I may not have Command Style, but I can compromise!"

Terra glanced at the boy as they got back to back, meeting in the middle of the huge horde. He chuckled a bit, shrugging. "I suppose not- wanna switch now?" Roxas nodded in confirmation, and they seamlessly switched from fighting on one side of the swarm of Unversed to the other. _Heh… Roxas may not have known about Shotlocks and Command Styles, but he certainly makes up for it with abilities I don't know about myself! Not bad._

The Keyblade Wielder of the future then jumped on the Keyblade Wielder of the past's shoulders, both of them jumped and Terra summoned a huge boulder and Roxas jumped on top of it while Terra hit the rock with his Keyblade and caused it to fall towards the Unversed. As soon as it hit the hode, Roxas jumped off it and began shooting out fireballs rapidly, taking out half the horde in one go! "Yeah!" Roxas landed and dashed back to the taller man, both of them exchanging a quick high five before getting back to work.

Terra began using a few spells to get rid of the Unversed around him, feeling the many small wounds from the creatures. He smirked a bit, though, grabbing his Wayfinder. "Heh- guess I'd better show you what D-Links can do!"

"A Wayfinder?" Roxas questioned, not sure how such a small object could really use a D-Link, but then again a Wayfinder keychain turned _his_ Keyblade into Oathkeeper so maybe it has more powers than people give it credit for.

Terra chuckled a bit, gripping it a bit tighter before he held it up into the air. "Aqua!" he cried out, and Roxas raised an eyebrow as his friend glowed blue for a brief moment. "Heh… perfect." He smirked, before suddenly beginning to cast magic almost as powerful as the blue-haired Keyblade Master! "Fira! Thundara! Blizzara!"

"Wow…" Roxas watched in awe as Terra began spamming these spells without looking tired or dazed. _He's fighting almost like Aqua… I wonder if D-Links allows you to use that person's special trait of power or ability? … If that's the case, what would _my_ D-Link be like?_

Then the boy sensed an incoming Unversed that hit him from behind, Roxas hissed as he turned and slashed at it, destroying it. _Gotta pay attention, this isn't the time to be in awe._

* * *

After the two took down the last of the jellyfish Unversed, they were back-to-back, looking around for any more Unversed in the area… but it looks like they got them all. The two Lost Boys were already coming out of their hiding spot. "Gee, you sure cut those monsters down to size!" the bear-costumed boy said happily.

Terra gave a soft grin, but it was quickly wiped off his face as he heard something in the distance. "Shh!" _It sounds like footsteps… Peter Pan doesn't really walk as far as I've seen, so who else could it be?_

Roxas sensed the familiar darkness of greed, and he frowned. "Terra, I think Captain Hook's coming back. Where's the chest? We'd better make it look like we've been guarding it."

Terra nodded, glancing back at the two surprised boys. "Go hide." The Lost Boys blinked, but they nodded, quickly placing the chest back right-side-up before rushing behind a nearby rock to hide.

No sooner than they had hidden did the pirate of the hour come around the corner, smirking happily. "Ahoy! How fare ye, lads?"

"As you can see, the treasure is safe. So, any luck with that star?" Roxas asked him.

"I didn't ask the brat to speak." Hook snapped, glaring angrily.

Roxas glared in annoyance right back, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Just because I'm younger doesn't mean I _can't_ hurt you!"

Terra frowned, interrupting Roxas and Hook before the two could continue their argument. "Hey… what's that?" He pointed to a lantern the captain was holding in his actual hand, with a tiny pixie trapped inside it!

Hook smirked at the reminder, holding up the lantern and shaking it slightly. "Tinker Bell- one of Peter Pan's _dearest_ friends." The pixie seemed to be shouting something, but all the two heard was the tinkling of a bell.

Roxas recognized Tinker Bell right away, she was the very same fairy who helped him and Axel fly in this world, and who helped him find the Heartless and Captain Hook- to him, Tinker Bell was also a friend. "And… what are you going to do with her?" he asked, frowning a bit more.

Hook handed the lantern to Terra as he turned to Roxas, giving an evil smirk. "Oh, nothing yet- but so long as I have his precious pixie, Peter Pan's demise is all but assured!" He began to cackle evilly, before noticing Roxas seemed to be staring at something next to him. "...What is it now?"

"... Let's just say you shouldn't make a woman angry." Roxas said with a smirk, crossing his arms.

"What?" Hook turned and saw Tinker Bell was free and floating right beside him. "W-wha!?" His eyes widened in shock, right before she kicked him right in the face! "OW!" He grunted in pain, turning to see the lantern was on the ground, unlocked. "What's the _meaning_ of this!?"

Terra glared as he said, clenching his fist angrily, "I don't appreciate being lied to, especially to one who doesn't respect my friends."

Roxas crossed his arms, smirking. "Looks like you just screwed up, 'Captain'."

The man wearing red swelled with anger, shouting furiously, "That's _mutiny_! And you'll walk the plank for it!" He growled furiously… right before he gasped, hearing a certain 'Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock. Tick, Tock.' "T-that sound… not again…!"

Roxas then noticed the two Lost Boys were running like they were being chased, he was about to ask what was wrong until he sensed the Unversed nearby. He saw the Unversed carrying the treasure chest… for reasons he didn't know, and they just threw it into the water! "Wah?" _Why would they do that? Did Vanitas order them to do that?_

"The treasure!" the boy in the bear suit cried as he jumped after the chest!

"No, stop!" Roxas ran and dived into the water after him, eyes widening in fear when he saw the crocodile eyeing the fat child like an all-you-can-eat buffet. _Oh crud…_

Terra's eyes widened as well, and he quickly dived into the water as Captain Hook ran off, screaming the whole way. _No! I won't let that crocodile eat those two… I'll do _anything_ I can to stop it! _He swum towards the bear suit-wearing boy first, knowing Roxas could at least fight the crocodile off.

* * *

While Terra was going after the boy in the bear suit, Roxas was using Oblivion to try and keep the crocodile from eating him. He looked up and saw a boat quickly being paddled away. _Guess Hook's fleeing… good, at least we don't have to deal with him right now._ Since it was hard to fight underwater, Roxas was having a hard time fighting with the hungry crocodile.

The crocodile kept snapping at him with its jaws, and it was fast underwater, giving Roxas the disadvantage, not to mention he had to keep coming up to the surface for air. He quickly cast Blizzaga at the crocodile, hoping to freeze it like Terra did, but the swimming reptile managed to evade it underwater. Roxas glared, he had to get in close if he wanted to encase it in ice.

The hungry crocodile was swimming back at the Nobody and managed to nip his leg, holding on tight. Roxas was being dragged underwater, he had to keep himself from releasing an unwilling gasp or he'd get a lungful of water! The Nobody banged Oblivion on the croc's head, trying to get it to let go of his leg. Because of the pain and his struggle not to breathe underwater, Roxas couldn't focus on using any magic.

Finally, with the last bit of his strength, the young boy slammed his Keyblade on the crocodile's nose, and to his shock, it let go, clutching at it in pain! _Okay- apparently it's nose is it's weakness like a shark, got it… _he quickly swam back up to the surface, taking a huge gulp of air.

After getting his breath back, Roxas dived back down at the crocodile. The angry reptile swam at him, snapping his jaws. Roxas threw Oblivion at it, using Strike Raid. Because of the water physics, Oblivion didn't go as fast as it would've on land, but it managed to hit the crocodile a few times. The croc still stubbornly swam at Roxas and tried to bite at the boy's face, so Roxas quickly grabbed its open jaws, trying to keep it from snapping down on him. The Nobody then kicked the upper roof of its mouth, causing it to back away a bit before he called on Oblivion again and smack it.

The crocodile hissed before it slammed its tail at Roxas, causing him to lose his breath and his Keyblade. Roxas had to hurry back to the surface to breathe, but the crocodile didn't want him to escape, and it bit his leg again, trying to drag him back down. Roxas let out a muffled yelp as bubbles flew out of his mouth. He glared back at the crocodile, trying to concentrate despite the pain and his burning lungs, and he managed to fire out a small Blizzard attack to get it to let go and he barely managed to break the surface and took a gasp of air.

Terra frowned worriedly, about to go back into the water. "Roxas!" he called out. "Are you okay!?" _I gotta help him… maybe if I use Blizzaraga while the crocodile's distracted… but I might hit Roxas too! If I freeze him while he's in the water he could _drown_!_

Roxas shook his head, taking a few gasps of air. _I can't waste air… but I don't want him going in after me- I only need one person in here, and that's me! I hope I can finish this before Terra gets the idea to come in after me…_

The Nobody dived back down at the crocodile, and he saw it was trying to chomp at him again. Roxas slammed Oblivion into its side, trying to keep its mouth away from him. The tail wasn't helping, it kept trying to swing at his head, but Roxas managed to kick it away. _I'll have one shot at this…_ Roxas buried Oblivion into the reptile's side, preparing another Blizzaraga spell, but the crocodile was fast and strong- it managed to turn its head and bite Roxas's hand, not hard enough to really hurt him, but enough to keep him from using the spell and caused him to flip back in the water.

Roxas glared in annoyance, the crocodile was smart, a lot smarter than most non-talking animals. _This thing's getting to be a real pain._ The crocodile lunged at Roxas once again, it's mouth wide enough open to be able to see down it's throat! Roxas had to grab at its jaws to keep it from slamming down on him, and the boy realized something here… he smirked as he used his foot on the roof of the reptile's big mouth to keep it open and quickly fired a Blizzaraga ice crystal down its throat!

The crocodile froze for a few minutes before backing off, quickly trying to warm itself up. It shivered violently as it glared at Roxas a few minutes before giving one last half hearted attempt to bite on his leg. In response, the boy aimed his Keyblade right at the crocodile's eyes, and it quickly backed away, scowling.

Roxas glared at the crocodile as if daring it to come and attack him again. The crocodile hissed before it turned its head away and swam off somewhere, the crocodile may be hungry but it wasn't stupid, it's not going to go after a meal that can fight back.

* * *

With the crocodile gone, Roxas swam up to the surface, taking in another grateful gulp of air before he began swimming towards shore, relieved to see Terra was still there. "Hey Terra! It's okay, the crocodile swam away."

The brown-haired man quickly lifted his friend out of the water, and Roxas blinked at the tingling sensation sent down his arm. "Roxas, are you alright!?" He frowned, grabbing the Nobody and shaking his shoulders violently. "Don't you _ever_ do something that stupid again- you hear me? You- you could have_ died_ in there!"

Roxas's eyes were circles as he tried to get Terra to stop shaking him. "O-o-okay! E-e-enough Terra!" When the older Keyblade Wielder finally stopped, Roxas had to wait a minute to get rid of the disorientation. "I know what I did was reckless, but if I didn't do anything, that boy could've been eaten- I did what I had to so he'd live."

"..." Terra sighed. _And in the same situation, I may have done the same thing… Ugh… _"I suppose you have a point- but don't be so stupid next time… We all care about you, and you nearly didn't make it out of the water at times."

"Hey, I made it out." Roxas said with a pout. "Don't worry so much, sheesh, I thought that was Aqua's job. The crocodile's gone, I'm still here, so just let it slide." The boy rubbed his head before he remembered that strange feeling he had a minute ago. "Did you feel a tingling feeling when you pulled me out of the water?"

Terra blinked before a small smile began to grow on his face. _Heh… so he finally made his first one, huh…? _He shook his head, still smiling. "Not personally… Roxas, that was a D-Link forming- only you felt it, because you _made_ it."

"What?" Roxas blinked. "_I_ made it? But that's impossible, I didn't even _do_ anything!"

The brown-haired man smirked, crossing his arms. "Is that so? Tell me- do you have an item with a spell on it, or even an item that you got from somebody else as a gift?"

Roxas blinked as he thought about it for a minute before he remembered that green Wayfinder Lea gave him. The boy reached into his pocket and pulled it out, "Well… someone I knew gave this to me a while back." He showed it to Terra, and blinked in confusion when he saw his friend's eyes widen in shock. "...What, what is it?"

Terra didn't register Roxas's words initially, still staring at the Wayfinder in his hand. _That… that's _Ven's_ Wayfinder! How does Roxas have that? _Then what Roxas said registered. "...I-it's nothing much… who did you say gave that to you again, Roxas?"

_Should I tell him who it was? … I don't know if that's a good idea… but I don't think Terra would appreciate it if I lie or try to keep it hidden… _"He's an old friend of mine. His name is Axel." _Because there's a Lea in this time, but not Axel, so I think it's better if I just give him Axel's name._

Terra frowned in confusion, still staring at the Wayfinder in Roxas's hand. _Not Ven? It would make sense, sort of, if he gave Roxas his own… but… _"Well… I won't think about it too much- but ask to see Ven's when you catch up with him next time, okay?" He gave a soft smile to Roxas, crossing his arms. "Now then… while holding that Wayfinder, try to find your D-Link with me- you should be able to sense it."

Roxas looked at the green Wayfinder before he gave a gentle squeeze, as if trying to sense any powers coming from it. It didn't take long until Roxas felt the familiar power of Terra's, strong, firm, but also gentle and caring. "I… I think I felt it." Then he looked at Terra. "So does that mean you also have a D-Link with me?"

Terra smiled, nodding. "Yeah… I've tried it, and now that I know about your dual wielding ability, it makes sense." Roxas blinked at that, frowning in confusion before the older man pokes his forehead playfully. "When I connect with you, my Keyblade grows twice as strong… It's ironic, really- that the person who's one of the youngest Keyblade Wielder I know is also able to give me that kind of strength."

Roxas gave a small smile at him, shrugging. "Heh… maybe I can do the same with Aqua and Ven later…"

"Hey! The treasure's empty now!" The kid in the fox suit whined after he had seen his friend is okay.

The kid in the bear suit frowned, pouting a bit. "What do we tell Peter Pan? He was counting on us…"

Terra glanced over at them before he smiled a bit more, walking over. "Well, did you guys really want the jewels and gold that badly?"

The two shook their head, still looking sad. It was clear that they were only upset because Peter Pan told them to keep it safe and it WAS a part of their game, to a kid losing a game was a big deal. "Well…" Roxas began with a smile. "Why not put the stuff that's really special to you in there? _That_ can be your treasure!"

"Yeah! That sounds like a good idea!" Fox Boy said with a smile.

"We'll take this chest to Peter right away!" Bear Boy agreed happily.

"Roxas…" Terra suddenly spoke up, glancing over at his friend.

"Yeah?" The young Nobody turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"I knew I could've dived in and tried to save you from that crocodile earlier, but I didn't. It's because… I could trust you. So Roxas…" Terra began to say before pausing. "I… I want you to go with them. Keep those boys safe from any dangerous creatures or Unversed."

"Really? You don't mind leaving me on my own?" Roxas asked, remembering he had to convince Terra to leave him before he left the spaceship in the previous 'world'.

Terra gave a small smirk, nodding. "I don't mind as much. I'll still worry, but that's what friends do- I know you can take care of yourself, and since you can travel to other worlds on your own, you… you don't really _need_ our Keyblade Gliders to travel around anymore." Then his smirk grew as he ruffled Roxas's hair. "But don't expect that means you're a Keyblade Master, kiddo- you still have a long way to go 'til then!"

Roxas nearly tipped over when Terra ruffled his hair, but he gave a smirk, crossing his arms. "Of course, I know that." _Considering I shouldn't even be able to wield a Keyblade in the first place… I know I'm Sora's Nobody, but… maybe I'm thinking too much into it._ "But I guess you want to make sure nothing happens to those two boys while you continue your own journey?"

Terra nodded, pulling out his own Wayfinder. "Yeah… I… I think I'm almost done- but…" he sighed, putting it back in his pocket. "But I still have to do one or two more things before everything's finished." _Including finding Vanitas… he's still at large, after all… and I _won't_ let him hurt anyone else- not if I get any chance to stop him! _"Maybe after this is all over, you can come back to the Land of Departure… maybe Master Eraqus would be a better teacher for you- er, that is, if you want. I mean you do have your own Master after all, I'm sure he's worried for you."

Roxas gave a slight frown at that, hesitating. "... It'd be nice to have a Master like Eraqus…" he gave a small smile again, thinking about it before looking up at his friend. "Well… I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens first. Good luck out there, Terra."

The tall Keyblade Master nodded, placing a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "You too, Roxas- stay safe…" he then turned, summoning his Keyblade back to his hand and opening another portal to the Lanes Between.

Roxas waved as Terra disappeared through it, then he turned to the two Lost Boys as they were carrying the chest. "Hey, wait up!" He quickly ran after them, placing the Wayfinder back in his pocket.

* * *

**DarkFoxKit: There, now we've introduced how D-Links work in this story, though I'm surprised nobody's brought this up yet, and that crocodile boss Roxas had to fight. Pretty interesting if I do say so myself- also, like in Deep Space, we'll be having all three stories here with Roxas again.**

**Key2DestNE: Well, we couldn't just ignore their stories this time, now could we? *smiles* Now then, onto the reviews! We couldn't help but notice that some of you are pairing Roxas with either Xion or Aqua… and to that I say, good- if you guys are pairing them, it means we have good representations of each of them!**

**DarkFoxKit: Well we're not pairing Roxas with Aqua- she's older than he is, by a lot, plus we stated already that she sees him and Ventus as her little brothers, not lovers. Anyways, CatLoverx33, you said 'please tell me that wasn't Tinker Bell'. I'm not sure what you meant since she was not in the story yet at the time, but I assume you meant when Roxas was getting bonked on the head? That wasn't Tinker Bell, I thought we made it clear it was Captain Hook doing that.**

**Key2DestNE: Maybe not, since she asked… But yeah, that was Hook. Anyways, onto the next review- Antex, it WAS a bit of a short chapter, but I think it still turned out nicely! And yes, we made them so similar when they both lost something dear to them, because, well, they ARE similar- poor misunderstood people/aliens who want to try and get past what they were 'made' for.**

**DarkFoxKit: FlightfootKeyseeker... Well, Terra wasn't looking and Hook is a very fast and slick man, try fighting him in Kingdom Hearts or Chain of Memories- seriously, that guy is FAST. He ran on top of the water while running from the crocodile for crying out loud! And Happyperson, yes, Xion will be in the fanfic, it's just that she won't be revealed for a while.**

**Key2DestNE: KP Fangirl, we were never planning to change the focus away from Roxas too much- this is HIS story after all, and this is about how HE fits into the KH BBS story. And yes, Vanitas has been very quiet lately~ As for who the mysterious figure is… we never said that it was a boy or girl, now did we? *winks mysteriously* I'll leave that to your imagination~!**

**DarkFoxKit: And Guest, sorry, I don't have your actual penname, but I'm glad you see our KH story so authentic we could write a style fitting for it! Although Key here says he's working on a solo story, I'm not sure when he'll be releasing it, so just be patient with him, he's got a lot going on. I know _I_ had to be patient with him… Fantasysword2375, yes, in the cutscene, Gantu did break Stitch's Wayfinder, hence why he was so angry in the game.**

**Key2DestNE: But it does make the two of them much more connected, as they both have lost something they love! And yeah, the story was already finished before Fox posted the first chapter… I'm just… I had extreme writer's block, and we didn't want to have that slow down the uploads… so we just had Fox do that update until it was gone… *smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck***

**DarkFoxKit: He was too burned out to even do the AN with me, so I had to do it myself, but we already revised it so we're all good. And that's an interesting theory you got there- I won't say if you got it right or wrong, just keep reading until you get there. Oh and just so we're clear with the readers, we're _not_ going to shift focus to Lea, okay? Some of you stated that we'll go into more depth with Lea now that he's revealed himself, but sorry, we're not, it's still with Roxas. If some of you want to do a 'chronicle story' with Lea during Roxas's Story, you can do that if you wish.**

**Key2DestNE: … *eyes light up* Ohohooooo, I just got an ideeaaaa~! *begins to sneak off, giving a wide grin* I'll talk to you later, Fox- I've got a story to write!**

**DarkFoxKit: Uh? *blink* Wa- *Key already took off* … Well… uh… okay then. I guess we'll be going now. I'm DarkFoxKit, that's my co-writer Key2DestNE and we look forward to hearing from you!**

* * *

**(edited) DarkFoxKit: Ahem, well looks like I'll be alone for this part, see, we do our ANs on Sunday, the day before I update this story, however, today I just saw another review and figured it'd be rude not to answer it here. Key is busy right now and won't be back until late so I'll take the responsibility to answer this reviewer. AHEM! MogTookMyMunny, I thank you for your review, I can relate to how you feel about not wanting to leave reviews in fear of sounding like an idiot to the author or authors in this case, but don't worry about that, I treasure all my reviewers, including you! So now on to the theories. You know, I really like your theories, they could make a great story on their own, like that side story with Lea I talked about earlier. And you're right, Lea didn't know this Roxas was from KHII's timeline, he was hoping it was a later Roxas (I'm assuming Roxas will be back during KHIII or later) since this one was more... 'delicate' I guess you could say.**

**DarkFoxKit: As I have stated before in some previous chapters, Young Xehanort's time travel is just _one_ way, it's not the _only_ way, so Roxas could still go back without having to discard his body, if he did he wouldn't be Roxas right now, he'd probably be Ventus. Still, that's a very interesting theory you came up with, and pretty close to the truth, but that's all I'll say to avoid spoilers. I'm guessing you're saying the mysterious voice is one person but Roxas think it's more than one? Xion and Namine... well Key said before that we didn't mention Namine at all, although she was in the prologue. Xion, as you know, is slowly but surely starting to be remembered. Heh... I think you're going to like what's going to happen in the future of this story.**

**DarkFoxKit: Again, I thank you for the time you took to review, I apologize this was such a long AN, I had to add in this one to answer the last minute review. I'm grateful to all my readers, especially for the ones who took their time to review, coming up with interesting theories and all. Anyways, I'm DarkFoxKit and I look forward to hearing from you again!**


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